The Voice of Hind Rajab

Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, The Voice of Hind Rajab details the increasingly frantic efforts of several volunteers to dispatch an ambulance for a young girl trapped by Israeli soldiers. It’s harrowing subject matter that’s employed to disappointingly (and curiously) inert effect by Ben Hania, as the filmmaker, armed with her own script, delivers a sluggish drama that gets off to an especially lackluster start – with the complete lack of interesting, three-dimensional on-screen characters certainly ranking high on the movie’s list of problems. And while Ben Hania’s decision to use real-life of audio of Rajab undoubtedly ups the intensity of her phone calls, The Voice of Hind Rajab’s overall impact is dulled significantly by the amateurish performances and a recurring (and uncomfortable) reliance on aggressive instances of melodrama – with the combination of both resulting in histrionic episodes that are almost laughable in their ineffectiveness. There’s little doubt, at least, that The Voice of Hind Rajab does improve once it progresses into a tense and thoroughly heartbreaking final stretch, and it’s clear, too, that the inclusion of real-life footage within the end credits ultimately packs more of an emotional punch than anything preceding it – which does seem to confirm that the whole thing would’ve been far better off as a standard documentary.

**1/2 out of ****