DUBAI: “I was drawn to making a crime thriller because it’s a genre that allows you to ask uncomfortable questions in a very accessible way,” Haifaa Al-Mansour says.
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The acclaimed Saudi filmmaker is talking about her latest feature, “Unidentified,” in which a young Saudi police officer, Nawal (Mila Al-Zahrani), investigates the death of a young woman whose body is found in the desert. Initially, the identity of the dead girl is a mystery, and the tight-knit community in which she lived — including her own family — are unwilling to identify her and acknowledge her death.
“The case becomes a confrontation with fear, silence, and the cost of truth, both for the community and for herself,” says Al-Mansour. “I enjoy thrillers because they create momentum, and draw you in, but beneath that surface you can explore social tensions, power structures, and moral ambiguity. For me, the genre was a way to talk about silence, complicity, and courage without making the film feel like a lecture.”
Shafi Alharthi and Mila Al-Zahrani on the set of ‘Unidentified.’ (Supplied)
