A bold cinematic work has ignited both acclaim and controversy at the Venice film festival, centering on the harrowing final hours of a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza. Using the actual audio recording of the child’s desperate calls for help, the film reconstructs the events around her death and the frustrated rescue efforts in a hybrid of documentary and fiction.
The project recreates the tense atmosphere inside an emergency call center as responders grapple with the girl’s pleas while navigating the dangerous realities of a conflict zone. Actors portray real-life paramedics and coordinators, reacting to the child’s authentic, heartbreaking voice—a creative choice that has drawn both praise for its urgency and questions about its ethical boundaries.
Audience members at the premiere reportedly responded with a prolonged standing ovation, many visibly moved. Yet the approach has prompted reflection on whether blending a real tragedy with dramatized sequences risks sensationalizing suffering. Some observers suggest a traditional documentary format might have offered clearer insight into the operational and political obstacles that prevented a timely rescue.
Nevertheless, the film unflinchingly engages with one of the most urgent humanitarian crises of our time. In one key scene, a distraught call operator confronts a supervisor over the necessity of coordinating with military authorities—the same forces implicated in the attack. The exchange lays bare the moral dilemmas faced by aid workers operating under siege.
By giving voice to a child’s final moments, the film challenges viewers to confront the human cost of conflict beyond headlines and statistics. It stands as a fierce, provocative work, raising difficult questions not only about war, but about how—and when—such stories should be told.
