CIFF 2025 Movie Review: The Voice of Hind Rajab

The Voice of Hind Rajab undoubtedly tells an important story and is one that everyone should know about, especially those who do not know about what is and was going on in Gaza. However, how the story is told is very underwhelming, making this harrowing film far less interesting and affecting.

The Voice of Hind Rajab is based on a true incident that happened in Palestine. It takes place inside a Red Crescent building and looks at a group of volunteers trying to handle a phone call from Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl who is trapped in a car under IDF fire. Throughout the film, we see the group of volunteers try desperately to get Hind help, but are faced with constant pushback from superiors who do not want to go into a warzone.

To heighten the film and show how serious and intense the situation was, director Kaouther Ben Hania uses the actual phone calls between the Red Crescent volunteers and Hind Rajab in the film. It’s an unbelievable experience hearing the voice of the young girl and the desperation of those at the Red Crescent. Hania even splices in some archival videos that were taken on that day. It’s amazing footage, and Hania shows how important the volunteers of the Red Crescent are and their determination in trying to save Hind Rajab.

There isn’t much visually going on in The Voice of Hind Rajab, which put a damper on the power of the story being told. It’s a chamber piece shot all in one location, but most of the cinematography is just close-ups on the characters’ faces, and the camera felt like it was always shaking. Not sure if this was an attempt to make this feel more documentary style, but it was unappealing and overall didn’t work. Hania shows the real conversations between the Red Crescent volunteer and Hind Rajab using a waveform, which is just a black screen and a light blue line moving up and down with the words and breaths. Again, amazing to hear these conversations, but visually boring.

The Voice of Hind Rajab is an intense viewing experience. It left the theater where I saw the film speechless. Not a word was uttered as the credits rolled. It is, without a doubt, one of the most important films of the year that paints a small picture of the horrors that took place in Gaza despite its being visually bland and its uninspiring cinematography.

The Voice of Hind Rajab played in the International Competition category at the 2025 Chicago International Film Festival.

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