‘Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk’ Review: Palestinian Doc is a Stunning Chronicle of Finding Hope in the Darkest of Realities [A-] CIFF
On October 10 of this year, a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel went into effect, ostensibly putting an end to two years of bloodshed, in which at least 68,000 Palestinians have been killed. This is the third ceasefire in as much time and in the few weeks since then, it has been violated multiple times, resulting in nearly 100 additional Palestinian deaths. For those of us watching the genocide from afar, it’s easy to feel entirely helpless and, perhaps, hopeless, especially as what should be a decisive conclusion to the war instead seems to indicate that Israel will soon be returning to its usual business of terrorizing Palestinians. Over the past two years, the casualty statistics have been overwhelming, almost to the point where it’s hard to reckon with such a massive number of lives lost. Filmmaker Sepideh Farsi clearly feels similarly, and in her powerful new documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, she expresses such defeatist ideas. But the person hearing her statements of despair has a much more optimistic perspective and, incredibly, she’s right at the heart of the Gaza war.
Fatima Hassouna, or “Fatma,” was a 25 year old photographer living in Gaza. After Israel began its bombing campaign following the October 7 attacks, she and her family were forced to flee their home. At the same time, she documented both the destruction of her homeland and the perseverance of her fellow Palestinians with her camera. As this film shows, she struck up an online friendship with Farsi, communicating through WhatsApp messages and video calls. Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk is almost entirely comprised of these correspondences, showing in linear fashion across the course of just over a year how Hassouna made it through her days under the most dangerous, violent circumstances on Earth. Hassouna and ten members of her family were killed in an Israeli bombing on April 16 of this year, the day after she was told by Farsi that the film had been selected to play at the Cannes Film Festival.
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk serves both as a visual memorial to one astonishingly lively individual and a straightforward primary source recounting of the bombardment of Gaza. Hassouna, through poor Internet connections and less-than-clear videos, tells Farsi of her day-to-day routines and increasingly dire circumstances. It’s astonishing and chilling to see her physical appearance and general energy deteriorate across the course of the film as she and her family must continually move to evade the attacks and struggle to adequately feed themselves due to the lack of resources and aid.
But incredibly, Hassouna rarely lets her circumstances affect her demeanor or communication abilities. She manages to continually find bright spots of joy and hope to highlight, even when Farsi can’t share in such a positive vision. Even when Hassouna quite literally shows an active bombing, her voice doesn’t have a note of fear or despair. As she tells the filmmaker, she and her neighbors can only “laugh and live our lives, whether they like it or not.” Hassouna even occasionally acts as a voice of reassurance for Farsi, compelling her to not give in to hopelessness and to continue to believe in a brighter future for Palestinians. It’s a stark reversal of how the interactions between the two women might be expected to go, considering one is a director shown filming from such places as Paris and the Italian seaside and the other is a refugee in a wartorn country.
As such, Hassouna serves as something of a lighthouse in a sea of worldwide pessimism and despondency. Her story and recounting of her experiences feels like a wake up call to anyone watching who feels crushed by the overwhelming cruel deeds of authoritarian politicians on the international stage. It’s easy to watch the news or observe current events and feel like we’re on an steep downward trajectory as a global society. I myself can say that it’s tough to keep my chin up, as a resident of Chicago currently living through a violent invasion by ICE – on the very same day that I’ve spent writing this review, masked agents detained and abducted a man just around the corner from my apartment. But as I try to keep telling myself, to fully give in to despair is to give evil a victory, and in fact, that’s exactly what the enemy wants. Although she never says as much, Hassouna seems to know that. The most striking image in a film constructed almost entirely of low quality video calls is her smile, which she neither can’t nor won’t suppress, despite the horrors she regularly witnesses. She’s an unintentional reminder of the necessity of resiliency in the difficult, seemingly insurmountable, but ultimately always triumphant fight for goodness.
Farsi keeps her subject steadfastly at the center of her film. The few instances that the documentary strays away from one of their phone calls are mostly dedicated to showing Hassouna’s photojournalism work. And much like the photographer herself, the people that she immortalizes through her lens are often shown smiling or embracing a loved one. One older woman even throws up a peace sign. It’s a wise choice from Farsi to let Hassouna’s story be the main focus. As such, Hassouna comes to represent the struggles and strength of her people, with the film avoiding editorialization and instead letting the singular story of the director’s friend tell the story of the Gaza war with as close to an objective perspective as can be achieved.
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk is extraordinary. It just may stand as one of the most important films about the Gaza genocide, showcasing the bravery and perseverence of the Palestinian people even as they face undeniably mightier forces. But the power of the Israeli bombers – and the politicians and military officials giving them their orders – is derived only from brute force and heartless wealth. History doesn’t look kindly upon domineering regimes that use violence on unmatched victims. Instead, a real lasting victorious legacy comes from and is fueled by hope and a belief that righteousness will win. Sepideh Farsi’s documentary, and Fatima Hassouna’s words, show that there is a way forward in the darkness, even when it seems like hope and optimism are nowhere to be found.
Grade: A-
This review is from the 2025 Chicago International Film Festival. Kino Lorber will release Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk in select theaters in the U.S. on November 5.
He currently resides in Chicago and is a proud member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. He also writes and podcasts for Next Best Picture and co-hosts his own podcast “Halloweeners: A Horror Movie Podcast.” You can follow him on Twitter, Letterboxd, and Bluesky @codymonster91
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