The documentary is built around a central tension: the Crown Prince’s desire to open up the Kingdom economically versus his refusal to loosen the regime’s grip on power. It juxtaposes two very different visions of the country. On one side, we see the glitzy, Western-facing Saudi Arabia—raves in the desert, foreign investment conferences, and women driving. On the other, we are taken into the grim reality of the prison cells where dissidents are held and the streets where executions take place.
If Kingdom.Uncovered.Inside.Saudi.Arabia.2024.1080 is a serious investigative piece, expect it to cover the following topics in high-resolution detail: Kingdom.Uncovered.Inside.Saudi.Arabia.2024.1080...
Setting the documentary in 2024 is no accident. Saudi Arabia is in the midst of Vision 2030 — a grand plan to diversify its economy away from oil, modernize society, and rebrand itself as a global tourism and tech hub. The documentary is built around a central tension:
By 2024, key milestones include:
Yet alongside this glittering facade, 2024 also marks continued crackdowns on activists, the aftermath of the 2018 Jamal Khashoggi murder, and a worsening climate crisis in the desert. A documentary titled Kingdom Uncovered would logically juxtapose these two Saudis — the one shown to foreign investors and the one experienced by laborers, dissidents, and marginalized communities. Yet alongside this glittering facade, 2024 also marks
1. Limited Access As is often the case with films about closed autocratic regimes, the documentary lacks direct engagement with the Saudi government. We see official propaganda clips, but there is no high-level official willing to sit down and defend the reforms on camera. While not the filmmakers' fault, it creates a somewhat one-sided, albeit well-sourced, narrative.
2. A Rushed Conclusion The final act feels slightly rushed. It attempts to cover the geopolitical shift regarding Saudi-US relations and the normalization talks with Israel, but these complex topics almost deserve their own segments. The film is at its best when it focuses on the individual human stories rather than the macro-politics.