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Unidentified

Play trailer 1:00 Poster for Unidentified 1h 41m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 9 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Verified Ratings
Twenty-nine year old Noelle Al Saffan moves to the city to start a new life after her divorce. Obsessed with "true crime" podcasts, she takes a job at a police station digitizing their old files. Her official work is mundane but, everything changes when the body of a young woman is discovered in the desert and the officers need a female present to investigate. Noelle jumps at the chance to participate in police work outside of the copy room, and haunted by the girl’s senseless and mysterious death, she launches her own investigation to identify the victim and solve her murder. Despite repeated warnings from the Police Chief to stay off the case, Noelle uses her ability to connect with other Saudi women to piece together a picture of who the girl was. Following the advice of her favorite video podcast, she investigates everyone who might be connected to the crime. Noelle doggedly pursues the mystery, putting herself in danger and challenging her preconceived notions about women in the Kingdom, the threats they face, and even the motivations that connect her to the victim.

Cast & Crew

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Haifaa Al-Mansour

Director

Mila Al Zahrani

Actor

Shafi Al Harthi

Actor

Aziz Gharbawi

Actor

Othoub Sharar

Actor

Adwa Alasiri

Actor

Critics Reviews

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Beandrea July IndieWire Oct 8
B-
Visually, Al-Mansour’s approach is middle-of-the-road: it gets the job done without flair. The pacing feels right from the beginning: as the story unravels, the plot points neither dawdle nor lurch too quickly forward. Go to Full Review Wendy Ide Screen International Oct 8
The style of filmmaking here can feel rather pulpy, but the knotty complexity of the plotting and -- in particular -- of the central character, adds texture and interest. Go to Full Review Jordan Mintzer The Hollywood Reporter Oct 8
Sleekly if routinely made, this classic whodunit is ultimately more interesting for what it reveals about the filmmaker’s homeland than for the mystery it unfolds. Go to Full Review Keri O'Shea Warped Perspective 13h
If filmmaking offers a distilled version of current social and cultural anxieties, then Unidentified has far more to say than it might at first seem to say. Go to Full Review Robert Denerstein Denerstein Unleashed 1d
The movie plods here and there, but as a peek into the way Saudi society deals with gender, Unidentified proves eye-opening. Go to Full Review Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse Mar 15
6
At times the whole enterprise borders on the ridiculous, yet it also possesses a certain fascination that makes it difficult to look away. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
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Unidentified

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Unidentified

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Movie Info

Synopsis Twenty-nine year old Noelle Al Saffan moves to the city to start a new life after her divorce. Obsessed with "true crime" podcasts, she takes a job at a police station digitizing their old files. Her official work is mundane but, everything changes when the body of a young woman is discovered in the desert and the officers need a female present to investigate. Noelle jumps at the chance to participate in police work outside of the copy room, and haunted by the girl’s senseless and mysterious death, she launches her own investigation to identify the victim and solve her murder. Despite repeated warnings from the Police Chief to stay off the case, Noelle uses her ability to connect with other Saudi women to piece together a picture of who the girl was. Following the advice of her favorite video podcast, she investigates everyone who might be connected to the crime. Noelle doggedly pursues the mystery, putting herself in danger and challenging her preconceived notions about women in the Kingdom, the threats they face, and even the motivations that connect her to the victim.
Director
Haifaa Al-Mansour
Producer
Brad Niemann, Haifaa Al-Mansour
Screenwriter
Brad Niemann, Haifaa Al-Mansour
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Al Mansour Establishment for Media Production, Rotana Studios
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Arabic
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 19, 2026, Limited
Runtime
1h 41m