What can only be described as one of the most gut-wrenching, anti-war films ever made.
And yet, The Voice of Hind Rajab doesn’t set out to be an anti-war film — nor a war film at all. It is simply a film based on the actual events of a recent tragedy, one that resulted in the loss of real lives.
Many films are based on true events. Many recreate tragic moments in human history, sometimes even incorporating photographs or recordings of real people who died. Nothing I’ve seen, however, has been as difficult to stomach as The Voice of Hind Rajab.
To call any part of this film “brilliant,” or to compliment the execution of its recreation — particularly while using the real voices from the emergency call center — feels… wrong. Disgusting. Sickening.
Describing that choice as an “intellectual decision” meant to create emotional turmoil for the sake of the film’s impact sounds disrespectful — not only to the people who lost their lives in this tragedy, but also, in a strange way, to those who chose to make the film at all.
Hearing the voice of a six-year-old girl, knowing it is her actual voice, knowing the gunshots heard in the background are real — a sound unmistakable even through a phone — is simply devastating.
And yet, sitting in that theater, watching the events unfold, hearing those voices and that background noise, fully aware that it was truly her — it completely changed not just how I watched the film, but how I experienced it.
Prior to this, I had seen I Was a Stranger, a fictional film described as being based on “14 million true stories.” It is inspired by real tragedies. Human smuggling is real. Homes are destroyed in war zones across the world. Innocent people die at their dinner tables.
But while the stories in I Was a Stranger mirror real events, they don’t land the same way. There is a difference between watching a scene in which a child dies in a car accident — knowing that children do, tragically, die that way — and seeing actual footage of a child being killed. The layer of fictional disassociation disappears entirely.
With that in mind, I’m left to conclude that Kaouther Ben Hania’s decision to use Hind Rajab’s real voice must have been an incredibly difficult one — and yet, a necessary one. Without it, some of the film’s weight would inevitably be lost.
The direction is near-perfect, allowing the film to move slowly or urgently as needed, resulting in something that feels precisely paced and carefully executed. We never see events unfold in “real time.” Instead, we remain inside the Red Crescent operations center, watching as responders work within the confines of that space.
Normally, I dislike when films show photographs of the real people involved. For me, it often pulls me out of the story and breaks the spell. I usually leave before those images appear.
But The Voice of Hind Rajab doesn’t wait until the end. It weaves real photographs — and even real video footage from that day — throughout the film. The shifts are noticeable, even down to changes in clothing color, yet they never disrupt the rhythm. The film never misses a beat.
The shots are inventive and creative. What would normally detract from my experience instead deepens it. The result is something more immediate, more devastating, and more human.
Saja Kilani and Motaz Halhees deliver career-altering performances, going toe-to-toe in shared scenes, feeding off one another, not only holding their ground but actively elevating each other’s work.
By the time the credits roll, this is a film that doesn’t simply affect you — it changes you, and it lingers long after the lights come up.
Perhaps the most powerful and important thing about The Voice of Hind Rajab is that it never frames itself explicitly as an anti-war film. The war itself is not the focus. And yet, without ever showing a battlefield, it captures one of the most horrifying consequences of war — and leaves you unable to dismiss it.