​FILMS

hotline

2015 review number 124:

Hotline: (Documentary): 59 out of 100: Screening at the Israeli Film Festival in Australia, this documentary is hard-hitting at times but suffers from the heavy-handed approach where the participants engage in conversations either over the phone or in person. It doesn't help when nobody is known by name, which makes it difficult for the viewer to empathise with any of the immigrants.

 

The documentary takes place in Tel Aviv in Israel. A small non-government organisation (NGO) fights for the rights of Israel's new African migrants. This human rights organisation comes across many stumbling blocks as it tries its best to assist those who are unfamiliar with the immigration policies in Israel. They argue that these asylum seekers should be able to settle in their new country while opposition states they contribute to the crime rate.

 

There's no direct talking to the camera. It would be interesting to discover if anything has been staged as the camera always seems to be there at the right moment to capture important conversations and debates. Perhaps a lot of footage has been filmed before being edited. There's several gripping tales of the plight of the immigrants but there is a distance between viewer and immigrant because they are not named and there is little or no backstory as to how they found themselves in the situation they're in. We don't even know what their struggles were like in their home countries. This documentary seems more like an advertisement for the hotline for refugees and migrants.

 

It seems to have been a cheap documentary to film as the camera is relentlessly shaky and in some scenes, on the move, quickly panning from one side of the room to the other.

 

I would have preferred several interviews with selected immigrants and hotline workers. How are they affected by Israel's immigration policies? I cannot recall any of the documentaries I have seen where the key participants aren't interviewed and speak directly to the camera, at least once. Do we really care about their fate if we don't even know their name?

 

The screening was presented by SBS TV so it should find its way to television soon. I am usually a fan of documentaries if they are filmed correctly. Although there are moments of interest, the lack of interpersonal qualities with the audience has resulted in a documentary that is uneven at times and little emotion being shown by this viewer. The theme of refugees and asylum seekers should have been more powerful than what was displayed here.

 

(99 minutes)

Parental advice: Adult themes

Additional scene during or after credits: No

https://www.facebook.com/HotlineForRefugeesAndMigrants (More information)

(Reviewed on Saturday 22nd August, 2015)

 

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