When Haifaa al-Mansour made her first film in Saudi Arabia women in the country were not allowed to drive. Now, they are solving murders.
Al-Mansour’s latest film Unidentified follows a female true crime stan unraveling the mystery behind the death of a teenage girl. The subject matter is women-centered and so are its storytellers – representing a sea change in Saudi culture.
Courtesy of Sony Pictures
“It’s a different Saudi Arabia,” said al-Mansour. Just 14 years ago she directed her first feature (the first woman in Saudi Arabia to do so) Wadjda. During that time, she said, “the country was segregated.” In fact, she had to direct scenes remotely, instructing male crew via walkie talkie from behind a monitor in a van. Back then, it was verboten to work alongside men in public. Now, things are different.
“It’s amazing to see how much Saudi Arabia has changed,” she said. “It was so empowering to me as a female person who was always told to run away and hide and cover.” She described her experience with her latest film as much freer than her first. She could direct in public with her male crew with the support of Saudi authorities.
When al-Mansour was growing up not only was directing a movie an impossibility, but going to the movies was a no go, as movie theaters were banned. Instead, she had to scrounge for home releases at rental stores.
When asked if there was any film she rented she looked back at with Unidentified in mind, she responded immediately. The Usual Suspects. It’s gritty. Smart. Fun. And it strikes the same tone as Unidentified.
Courtesy of Sony Pictures
While the film riffs on the old noir thriller tropes, we get something distinctly modern. At the story’s core is a quintessential Gen Z girlboss, an amateur sleuth with crime solving know-how gleaned from podcasters and influencers. True Crime is, of course, an obsession in the United States, attracting a predominantly female demographic. Al-Mansour assures us they love their true crime just as much in Saudi Arabia.
Watch the trailer below.
