Haifaa Al Mansour on Saudi Thriller ‘Unidentified’
Variety recently covered Saudi filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Unidentified, a thriller exploring sexism and silenced voices. At Talent Trust, we look at these stories through the lens of workplace culture, psychological safety, and anonymous feedback.
“The truth is that women in the Middle East have a lot of agency and a lot of sass. And they hustle, in spite of a system that always marginalizes them. So I wanted to show what happens to a woman when she is put in a place of frustration; when she feels that she is not heard, and she doesn’t matter, and she is just pushed to the side.”
This truth applies not only to Middle Eastern women but to people everywhere. When people feel marginalised and ignored, we often see this kind of behaviour. When they voice concerns but aren’t heard, frustration builds, and eventually it spills over in ways that feel disruptive. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right way to respond, but in that moment, it feels like the only way they can make themselves heard.
That’s the main reason we have our feedback mechanisms.
The story may be set in the Middle East, but what it really shows are universal human traits and what happens anywhere when voices are ignored and frustration builds.