"Open voice" is a narrative style theory by Carl R Plantinga that follows a character centred, episodic style that typically observational, reflexive yet ambiguous, leaving the viewers with open questions/ answers. Plantinga said "Where the formal may be said to explain, the open voice shows, provokes, and explores. The open voice exploits the abilities of cameras and microphones to observe and show, record and play back."
"Rough Aunties" is a 2008 documentary by Kim Longinotto that follows "The Bobbi Bears", a group of South African women who have devoted their lives to helping and rescuing children and young people from sexual abuse and neglect.
Plantinga's "open voice" applies quite well to longinotto's emotionally powerful documentary because it portrays the very sensitive subject of wild abuse, something that is very hard to overcome and takes time, which results in the film showing episodes in the lives of victims as the Bobbi Bears come to give their support. Due to the nature of the subject, Longinotto stays strictly observational throughout the entire filming process, providing little to no input to the events taking place.
An example of the film's episodic nature is when the Bobbi Bears meet a young girl who has been beaten and neglected by her grandfather. At first, the ladies question and console the girl, all working to to learn about this girls's troubles and better her better her life. Later on in the film we see the Bobbis confront the grandfather about his actions, which he denies ever doing. at the end of the film we learn that one of the Bobbis took the girl into foster care and after a long discussion with her husband, they adopt the girl.
Throughout that entire episode, several questions are left unanswered, which works well as it portrays real life, which is all to often ambiguous and depressing.
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