"Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia (2024)" is not an easy watch. It is 67 minutes of sustained outrage, underpinned by journalism that exposed its makers to imprisonment and worse. Yet it is also a crucial document—a record of the lives sacrificed for MBS’s skyline and the voices silenced in the name of "progress."
Workers speak to Noura of 16‑hour shifts, seven days a week, often for weeks without a single day off—far exceeding the kingdom’s own legal maximum of 60 hours per week. Many report that their passports are confiscated upon arrival, a practice that transforms a migrant worker into a de facto indentured labourer with no means to leave. One harrowing sequence shows workers protesting unsafe conditions, while the film’s narration reminds viewers that these protests are illegal and that those who organise them face deportation or worse.