It can be more than a little shocking to see how other countries handle crime in media. Case in point, Haifaa al-Mansour’s film Unidentified.
Unidentified tells the story of a murdered teenage girl in Riyadh. When her body is found in the desert with no identification they recruit their office receptionist Nawal (Mila Al Zahrani). She assists them in their initial investigation. The police quickly give up on the case but Nawal refuses to. After all, she doesn’t want to see the girl buried in an unmarked grave. That may be unavoidable however, especially if the girl was part of an honour killing as she suspects. Only by digging deeper though will Nawal be able to uncover the truth, something the family, and her superiors, don’t want her doing.
Unidentified tells a compelling story that draws you in, but it’s the ending that makes this movie truly shine. The movie wouldn’t be possible though, without the strong performance by Al Zahrani.
Al Zahrani gives her character life. You feel her obsession, and want her to solve the case, even though she comes off as being the nosy amateur sleuth. Those types of character can be very annoying if not played right, and Al Zahrani does it perfectly.
Unidentified not only a compelling murder mystery, but it also does a great job of giving you a glimpse into the Arabic culture. It’s something different than typical North American crime dramas, which makes it a must see murder mystery.
- Rated: Unrated
- Genre: crime, Mystery, Thriller
- Directed by: Haifaa Al-Mansour
- Starring: Aziz Gharbawi, Mila Al Zahrani, Shafi Al Harthi
- Produced by: Brad Niemann, Haifaa Al-Mansour
- Written by: Brad Niemann, Haifaa Al-Mansour
- Studio: Al Mansour Establishment, Rotana Studios
