“Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk” offers one of the most intimate, harrowing portraits of contemporary war-related trauma, turning an ordinary FaceTime conversation into a raw visual diary of life inside Gaza.
Directed by Sepideh Farsi, this documentary unfolds almost entirely through video calls with Fatma Hassouna, a young Palestinian photojournalist documenting her own life amid the relentless Israeli bombardment in 2024.
Unlike traditional war documentaries relying on expert voices or multiple perspectives, Farsi’s film centers on Fatma’s singular voice and her expressions gradually revealing the weight of daily survival under siege.
The phone’s patchy connection, with calls dropping and words hanging unfinished, becomes a poignant symbol of the fragmented lives this conflict shatters. Fatma’s storytelling, punctuated by moments of laughter, grief, and raw frustration, strips away the distance viewers often feel toward news reports.
Her accounts include fleeing bombed homes, losing loved ones in strikes, and enduring deprivation, no electricity, no running water, hunger, and the constant overhead threat of helicopters and snipers.
Remarkably, Fatma’s courage and resilience shine through, even as the weight of unending conflict leaves her increasingly exhausted and despondent.
What elevates the film beyond a simple war chronicle is Fatma’s artistry; her photographic work and poetry weave through the narrative, offering haunting glimpses of Gaza’s contradictory beauty and destruction.
This fusion creates a cinematic experience where the viewer is not just watching violence but feeling its emotional and physical toll. The decision to use single-screen phone calls projected in real time brings a surreal immediacy to the film, turning technology itself into a vessel of connection, despair, and witness.
The Human Cost and Unflinching Reality
The documentary’s power lies largely in its unvarnished portrayal of human suffering. Fatma’s story is not unique in Gaza, yet telling it with such honesty forces viewers to confront the scale and intimacy of civilian suffering in a conflict too often reduced to statistics or political rhetoric.
With scenes capturing the destruction of homes, buildings, and the obliteration of neighborhoods, the film vividly recalls the devastating toll on families, particularly children and the elderly. At one point, Fatma explains losing thirteen friends and family members in a single strike, including an infant.
Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk (Credit: Rêves d’Eau)
This becomes more than history or news; it becomes a personal tragedy recorded in fragmented phone calls that grow fewer as the war intensifies and Fatma’s strength wanes. In early calls, Fatma’s hope is palpable despite the horrors, but as months pass, a numbing despair settles in.
Her references to cultural works like “The Shawshank Redemption” articulate this shift from optimism to the recognition that hope can be dangerous in such a brutal environment.
The film also commemorates Fatma herself, who was killed in an airstrike shortly after the film’s premiere, adding a heartbreaking layer of urgency and remembrance.
Critics and festival audiences alike have recognized the film’s impact. It moves beyond mournful storytelling to a direct call to empathy, forcing viewers to reckon with war’s human face. Its style rejects sensationalism for a simple yet stark honesty that resonates deeply.
By framing Fatma’s experience as a continuous video diary, the documentary emphasizes how individual lives are caught in an interminable cycle of violence and loss, making the viewer a witness to both the endurance and fragility of hope in war zones.
Beyond Borders: The Film’s Wider Message
While this film is a searing account of Gaza, its influence extends widely as a testament to the universal human cost of conflict and the power of personal narratives in war documentation.
Sepideh Farsi’s choice to build the film around a single voice offers a potent reminder that behind every headline and ceasefire negotiation are countless overlooked lives, each marked by trauma and courage.
The dynamic between Farsi and Fatma, an Iranian filmmaker and a Gazan resident who never met in person but are connected through screens, also highlights how modern technology reshapes storytelling and activism under extreme circumstances.
The film’s festival success and critical acclaim have made it a cause célèbre, igniting conversations on media representation of Palestinian suffering and the role of documentary film in conflict zones.
It pushes audiences to consider how stories are shared and received amid global political indifference and complicity. The digital intimacy of the video calls cuts through the noise, creating a narrative that is at once deeply specific and hauntingly universal.
As ceasefire talks falter and the humanitarian crisis worsens, “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk” stands as both a document and a memorial, an effort to honor those caught in war’s shadows and amplify the voices of those silenced all too soon.
Fatma’s story challenges viewers to face the brutal truths of occupation without turning away and to consider the relentless resilience of those living in conflict’s grip, soul in hand.
This unique documentary has been widely reviewed and praised for its approach, including by sources such as The New York Times, The Film Stage, RogerEbert.com, and POV Magazine. It has resonated powerfully in an era when personal video storytelling shapes how global conflicts are understood and humanized.
The film’s rawness and technological immediacy make “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk” a standout, capturing a period of recent history through the unfiltered lens of one courageous young woman’s life and death.
It is an essential watch for anyone seeking to grasp the brutal, ongoing reality in Gaza beyond headlines and political debate.
The documentary “Come See Me In The Good Light,” directed by Ryan White, intimately follows the last year in the life of poet and activist Andrea Gibson.
Diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer, Gibson’s final chapter unfolds not as a quiet surrender but as an intense journey of love, artistic expression, and fierce living. The film is both a tender chronicle and a compelling conversation about mortality, love, and what it means to truly live.
The work places poetry at its emotional core, retracing Gibson’s unique gift for spoken word that unpacks pain and hope with raw honesty. Gibson’s voice, carried on powerful performances and intimate moments with their partner Megan Falley, invites viewers to engage with grief and joy simultaneously.
The film’s naturalistic style shows these moments in warm, unvarnished light, giving audiences access to the couple’s dynamic, their humor, and their vulnerability.
Critics have praised how the documentary balances difficult medical realities with a celebration of life’s fleeting beauty, making this not just a story of dying but a compelling invitation to live fully while we can.
Facing Mortality Through Art and Connection
What sets “Come See Me In The Good Light” apart is the way it frames death, not as an end but as a powerful catalyst for renewed meaning and connection.
Andrea Gibson, known for their profound spoken word performances and activism, chose to share their journey openly, transforming personal suffering into a collective experience.
The film captures this transformation in scenes where Gibson and Falley navigate medical treatments, fears, and faded hopes, while also sharing quiet moments of joy, laughter, and creation.
Come See Me In The Good Light (Credit: Apple TV)
What emerges is a striking portrayal of how art, poetry in this case, becomes a tool for processing pain and making sense of impermanence. Gibson’s poetry voiceovers thread through the film, offering metaphorical reflections that deepen the audience’s understanding of love, loss, and acceptance.
Their work underscores the film’s message: life’s value doesn’t diminish with the knowledge of its limits; instead, awareness sharpens the desire to live truthfully and fully. The relationship between Gibson and Falley is central here, showing mutual support and love that feels raw and unguarded, a testament to human resilience in hardship.
The film’s reception mirrors this emotional richness, with critics offering unanimous praise for its humane and poetic portrayal of dying. On Rotten Tomatoes, it boasts a 100% positive rating, emphasizing that the documentary resonates deeply with a broad audience, despite the heavy subject.
The inclusion of comedian Tig Notaro, a friend of the couple and a fellow artist known for blending humor and poignance, adds moments of levity, highlighting the complexity of living with terminal illness without losing sight of joy.
Legacy and Invitation: What Andrea Gibson Leaves Behind
Andrea Gibson’s sudden passing in July 2025 at age 49 left a profound void, but their legacy continues to echo through this documentary and their spoken word art. The film is more than a biographical record; it is a shared experience that honors Gibson’s philosophy on life and death.
Their approach to audience engagement, calling them “sweet community” rather than fans or followers, speaks to a deep connection fostered through honesty and care.
The documentary adds layers to this legacy by showing how Gibson wanted to protect and nurture their community even while facing illness. Their decision to disclose the diagnosis not in a sterile announcement but through intimate, personal communication mirrors the warmth and openness shown throughout their career.
The film captures this ethos, illustrating Gibson’s commitment to treating life as an ongoing dialogue with honesty and love.
Moreover, “Come See Me In The Good Light” invites viewers to reconsider typical narratives around death. It’s not about fear or finality, but about how facing death can illuminate what matters most: love, presence, and artistic expression.
The film encourages a renewed appreciation for the ordinary moments and human connections that become extraordinary when seen through the lens of limited time.
The documentary’s impact extends beyond Gibson’s immediate circle to audiences worldwide, who find inspiration in how one life can teach enduring lessons about embracing vulnerability and courage.
It challenges perceptions, asking the audience to engage empathetically with those confronting mortality and perhaps to live more intentionally themselves.
