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The Dissident

The Dissident

2020

PG-13

Director

Bryan Fogel

Runtime

119 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

When Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappears after entering Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, his fiancée and dissidents around the world are left to piece together the clues to a brutal murder and expose a global cover up perpetrated by the very country he loved.

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Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

6.3/10

Good


Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Minimal

The documentary focuses on the political and journalistic life of Jamal Khashoggi. There are no documented depictions of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisnormative narratives.

Gender Representation

Fair

The film highlights Khashoggi’s fiancée and the women pursuing justice. It centers the emotional and investigative labor of women navigating the aftermath of his disappearance.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Excellent

The film centers an Arab intellectual as a high-agency protagonist. It avoids orientalist tropes by presenting Khashoggi as a sophisticated actor critiquing his own state.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Excellent

The narrative examines the tension between institutional power and individual conscience. It critiques how capitalist interests and diplomacy often supersede human rights and ethical accountability.

Disability Representation

Minimal

There is no significant focus on visible or invisible disabilities within the subject matter.

Strengths

  • Centers an Arab intellectual as a high-agency protagonist rather than a passive victim.
  • Challenges Western-centric views by highlighting the internal complexities of Saudi Arabian structures.
  • Critiques the systemic failure of Western institutions to prioritize human rights over geopolitical stability.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lacks any representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisnormative narratives.
  • Provides no focus on visible or invisible disabilities within the subject matter.

AI Analysis

The film succeeds in deconstructing traditional power dynamics by centering a non-Western subject with high agency. It avoids portraying Middle Eastern figures as mere victims, instead presenting a sophisticated critique of state-sponsored authoritarianism. However, the documentary lacks representation for LGBTQ+ identities and disability. The narrative is strictly focused on the geopolitical fallout and the personal trajectory of Jamal Khashoggi. Ultimately, the work provides a strong post-colonial lens that challenges Western-centric news narratives, even while remaining narrow in its demographic scope.

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