Our Review

                    Movie: UNIDENTIFIED

                         Rating: PG-13                     

                            Length: 1:41

               Release Date: June 19, 2026

JEANNE: Despite the implausible plot twist in the final moments of the film, writer/director Haiffa Al Mansour’s completion of her “Saudi trilogy”, UNIDENTIFIED, showcases a system rigged against women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Al Mansour is the first female director from Saudi Arabia and she is on a mission to expose the violence women, particularly in the Middle East, face when attempting to step out of their expected traditional roles.

Noelle Al Saffan (Mila Al Zahrani) is a divorced 29-year-old woman who has recently moved to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to begin a new life away from her family. She is obsessed with makeup --- and “true crime” podcasts. She has managed to find a job at the local police station digitizing the old files.

When a teenage girl’s body is found in the desert, Noelle is excited to accompany the officers because a female presence is mandatory when they investigate. There is no identification on the body, seemingly her family wants nothing to do with her death. Perhaps it was an “honor killing” and they don’t wish to have the particulars of her possible “crime” to be made public.

But Noelle can’t let it go. She is determined to find out how and why this teenager was killed. Her boss, Majid (Shafi Al Harthi), warns her repeatedly to stop investigating on her own, but those pleadings fall on deaf ears. Noelle visits a few schools searching for any information regarding missing girls. She finally makes progress with two teenagers, Dania (Somayaal Shareef), and Jude (Othoub Sharar), who tell Noelle that the missing girl’s name was Amal.

Al Mansour has crafted a decent thriller along with her co-writer Brad Niemann. But more importantly, she has unmasked that women in many countries still have their identities predetermined at an early age, which adds to gender inequality and makes their lives infinitely less valuable. No one, except Noelle, seems very concerned that this dead teenager could end up in an unidentified grave.

This stark realization --- along with Noelle’s steadfast resolve to get answers --- makes UNIDENTIFIED watchable entertainment. Al Mansour has provided an interesting look into the challenging world of women in Saudi Arabia.

            Opened in theaters June 19

OPINION: WAIT FOR VOD

DAVID: UNIDENTIFIED, directed by Haifaa Al Mansour --- the first female director in Saudi Arabia with her acclaimed 2012 film WADJDA  --- takes place in the capital city of Riyadh. When the body of a teenage girl is found in the desert, a young woman named Noelle, working as a clerk in a police station, decides to investigate the murder on her own.

Noelle (Mila Al Zahrani) is determined to find clues leading to the identification of the deceased. She interviews anyone who might be associated with the girl after learning her name, and despite the warnings from her closest ally at the station to stop her research ---  her boss Majid (Shafi Al Harthi) --- she presses on.

The film, co-written by the director and her previous collaborator, Brad Niemann, leaves some questions unanswered, but ultimately provides an unseen twist. The film’s tag line --- EVIL HIDES BEST IN PLAIN SIGHT --- may ultimately reveal the key to the story’s resolution.

The entire cast merits accolades for overall fine acting, and certainly the movie is sufficiently intriguing. The lovely Al Zahrani, in particular, holds the viewer’s attention as she methodically unearths clues to what appears to be a murder rather than some sort of accident.

             Opened in theaters June 19

OPINION:  MILD SEE IT NOW!