Five Hours with Raja

Five Hours with Raja is an intimate, confronting documentary which follows a young mother carrying her baby to term, despite the diagnosis of a fatal birth defect. It tells a story about death – but – it is also a love story. This paper unpacks how an invitation to film this unusual and life-changing event developed into an opportunity to question the ethics of the interview. It examines how the intricacies of a trust relationship influence the very threads and textures of the resulting documentary. This paper shows how the developing relationship between Claudia – the documentary''s key protagonist, and the filmmaker, affected the style, method, content and even the fundamental story line of the documentary Five Hours with Raja. It also discusses the consequential ethical considerations and dilemmas behind creative and practical decisions, investigating ways that a filmmaker can draw the participant into the process to allow a greater degree of ownership, a stronger voice and a more immediate sense of intimacy with the final audience.