---
title: "The Dissident"
year: 2020
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-dissident"
fi1m_id: "the-dissident"
imdb_id: "tt11382384"
tmdb_id: 653746
wikidata_id: "Q86460768"
fi1m_score: 72
critics_score: 77
critics_reviews: 16
published: "2026-10-02T21:43:55.464147+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-02T21:43:55.929834+00:00"
region: "IS"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Dissident (2020)

Directed by Bryan Fogel · 1h 59m · Documentary

## Identity

The Dissident

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-dissident
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-dissident
- **IMDb ID:** tt11382384
- **TMDB ID:** 653746
- **Wikidata ID:** Q86460768
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11382384/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/653746, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q86460768

**Fi1m score: 72** · Critics 77 from 16 reviews

*In a sentence:* A murder nobody doubts, a cover-up nobody believed, and one frightened young man in Montreal with a laptop

> Bryan Fogel lays out the killing of Jamal Khashoggi with a prosecutor’s thoroughness, and the Turkish transcripts alone justify the two hours. He is on shakier ground whenever animated bees and a swelling score step in to tell us how to feel.

## Synopsis

On 2 October 2018 Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist living in exile in the United States and writing for the Washington Post, walks into his country’s consulate in Istanbul to collect a document he needs in order to marry. His fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, waits outside. He does not come out. Bryan Fogel’s documentary follows the Turkish investigation led by the public prosecutor İrfan Fidan, who has recordings of what happened inside, and the United Nations inquiry of Agnès Callamard. In Montreal, the young Saudi activist Omar Abdulaziz, who was working with Khashoggi against the kingdom’s online propaganda, waits to find out whether he is next. Around them Fogel assembles footage of Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud and Donald Trump, and asks who gave the order.

## Review

On 2 October 2018 Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to collect a document he needed in order to marry, and did not walk out. Hatice Cengiz waited for him outside. Bryan Fogel’s documentary sets out what happened inside, who sent the men who were waiting for him, and what the rest of the world chose to do about it, which was not much. It is a thorough, properly angry piece of work, and at its best when it puts the Turkish evidence on screen and lets it sit there. It is less good, and sometimes a little embarrassing, when it dresses that evidence up.

Fogel and his co-writer Mark Monroe run three strands. In Istanbul, the public prosecutor İrfan Fidan and the Turkish officials Fahrettin Altun and Abdulhamit Gul take us through the investigation, alongside Agnès Callamard, who led the United Nations inquiry. In Montreal, the young Saudi activist Omar Abdulaziz talks to a camera about the friend he lost and the government that is still after him. Around both, through archive of Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud, Donald Trump and the senator Bob Corker, and an interview with the former CIA director John Owen Brennan, Fogel builds his case about where the order came from. The film does not pretend to be neutral on that question, and we did not want it to be.

The Istanbul strand is the one that got to us. Fidan and his colleagues describe recordings made inside the consulate, and Fogel puts the transcribed lines on screen a few at a time, white type on black, as the prosecutors talk. We were horrified, and what did it was not the violence, which the film is careful about, but the tone. The consensus is that the men sound like tradesmen discussing a difficult job. Nobody raises their voice. We have watched a good deal of true crime, and little of it has made us feel the way those plain typed sentences did.

Abdulaziz is the film’s other great asset, and the closest thing it has to a lead. He is funny, frightened and visibly guilty, because Khashoggi had been helping him and the help may have made things worse. Through him Fogel explains the Saudi state’s use of Twitter, the paid accounts the dissidents call flies and the volunteer swarm Abdulaziz and Khashoggi tried to raise against them, and the spyware found on Abdulaziz’s phone. This is the part of the story most people have not heard, and it is told clearly.

Then there is the dressing. Four editors are credited, Scott D. Hanson, James Leche, Wyatt Rogowski and Avner Shiloah, and the film has the shape of something assembled by committee: points made in the first hour are made again in the second, and the pace, which is quick and clean around the investigation, slackens whenever Fogel steps back to survey the kingdom. The tweets become animated bees fighting animated flies, the spyware becomes a glowing diagram, and the score swells under interviews that needed nothing underneath them. We found ourselves resisting the push, and the push was never needed. Khashoggi himself gets less than he should. His columns and his smile are here, but the complicated man who spent decades close to the court he later criticised stays out of focus. Cengiz, composed and exact, gives us more of him in a few minutes than the archive manages.

Fogel’s previous film, *Icarus* (2017), stumbled onto its story halfway through and was better for the surprise. Here he knew the story before he started, and the job was to arrange it. He arranges most of it well. The film is strongest when it behaves like the prosecutor’s case it half wants to be, laying out dates, names and typed sentences, and weakest when it remembers it is also supposed to be a thriller.

Watch it, and watch it with your own phone face down; you will look at it differently afterwards. Certificate 15, 119 minutes, and the last ten of them tell you what the first hundred already proved.

*Fi1m score 72, published 2 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics rate Bryan Fogel’s documentary highly: twelve positive reviews, four mixed, none negative. The praise clusters on the investigation itself. Reviewers describe the reconstruction of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder as gripping, and several say it moves with the pace of a thriller, with The Hollywood Reporter crediting the editing for pulling the viewer through the evidence. The strand following the activist Omar Abdulaziz and Saudi digital surveillance is singled out repeatedly. Empire and Sight and Sound also value the human portrait, particularly the detail given to Khashoggi’s relationship with Cengiz.

The reservations are about shape rather than substance. The AV Club finds the retelling repetitive and the pacing slack; IndieWire thinks the filmmaking dry and stilted; the Los Angeles Times faults the score, the editing and the computer animation. Vulture goes furthest, calling it unfocused, with too many threads and too little of Khashoggi himself. The spread is narrow, running from warm to merely approving, and nobody argues against seeing it.

## Straight answers

**Is The Dissident worth watching?**

*The Dissident* is worth watching for anyone who wants the killing of Jamal Khashoggi laid out plainly and in full, and we scored it 72. The Turkish prosecutors' transcripts and the Montreal activist Omar Abdulaziz carry the film; the animated bees and swelling score work against it, and it repeats itself in the second hour.

**How long is The Dissident, and what is it rated?**

*The Dissident* runs 1h 59m. It is a documentary film.

**Where can I watch The Dissident in Iceland?**

*The Dissident* is not on any streaming or rental service in Iceland at the moment. It is available in 22 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is The Dissident, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Dissident* carries a UK 15 certificate, and the horror comes from typed transcripts of a murder rather than anything shown; Fogel is careful about the violence itself. It is not for children, and the calm, matter-of-fact tone of the men inside the consulate is what disturbed us most. Older teenagers with an interest in the story will manage it.

**How does The Dissident compare to Citizenfour?**

*The Dissident* builds a prosecutor's case against the Saudi state across two hours, while [*Citizenfour*](https://film.one/film/citizenfour) sits in one Hong Kong hotel room and watches Edward Snowden decide to talk. The earlier film is the tighter and more frightening of the two, with no music at all; Fogel's covers more ground and explains more, but keeps nudging you to feel what the evidence already makes you feel.

**What should I watch after The Dissident?**

After *The Dissident*, try [*Icarus*](https://film.one/film/icarus) (2017, Fi1m 76): Fogel’s earlier film, which found a Russian doping scandal while looking for something smaller. Then [*Citizenfour*](https://film.one/film/citizenfour) (2014, Fi1m 83): Edward Snowden in a Hong Kong hotel room; the same dread, with no music at all; and [*Collective*](https://film.one/film/collective) (2019, Fi1m 88): Romanian journalists pull a health ministry apart, patiently and without a single graphic.

### Reviews we read (16)

- **Radio Times**, Andrew Collins (5/5): Collins gives the documentary a five-star rating, presenting it as a compelling investigation into Khashoggi’s killing and the campaign to suppress the truth. The review highlights Fogel’s attention to the propaganda-driven war on truth and the dissidents working to expose it. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-7i7oob/the-dissident/)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (90/100, inferred): Gleiberman calls the documentary riveting and a moving testament to Khashoggi’s courage. He praises its gripping investigation into the murder and the forces behind it. [Read](https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/the-dissident-review-jamal-khashoggi-1203478959/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (85/100, inferred): McCarthy calls the documentary a first-rate, grimly riveting account of a political tragedy. He praises its vigorous, comprehensive investigation and thriller-like editing for drawing viewers into the evidence. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/dissident-review-1272803/)
- **The i Paper**, Geoffrey Macnab (85/100, inferred): Macnab finds the documentary dramatic, heart-rending, and clear-sighted. He praises Fogel for turning exhaustive research and abundant material into a compelling account. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-dissident-review-heart-rending-clear-sighted-documentary-death-of-jamal-khashoggi-898160)
- **Empire**, Ian Freer (80/100, inferred): Freer finds the documentary a compelling, rigorous investigation and a forceful case for free speech. He especially praises its portrait of Khashoggi as a warm, genial, human figure. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-dissident/)
- **Sight and Sound** (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the documentary gripping and emotionally devastating. They praise its human focus, especially the intimate details of Khashoggi and Cengiz’s relationship, amid its geopolitical analysis. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/dissident-bryan-fogel-jamal-khashoggi-assassination-documentary-saudi-rogue-terror)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): The review finds the documentary gripping and says it unfolds with the pace of a thriller. It singles out its investigation into Jamal Khashoggi’s fate and Saudi Arabia’s role. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-dissident)
- **IndieWire**, Eric Kohn (B): The critic calls the documentary urgent and essential, while noting that its filmmaking can feel dry and stilted. He praises its clear account of Khashoggi’s death and the broader context of Saudi efforts to silence dissent. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-dissident-review-jamal-khashoggi-sundance-1202205926/)
- **The AV Club**, Noel Murray (B): Murray finds the documentary informative and ambitious but ultimately good rather than great. He praises its account of Omar Abdulaziz’s resistance and its broader focus on authoritarian power, while faulting the repetitive retelling and slack pacing. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-dissident-brings-a-layered-approach-to-the-story-of-1845992141)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (75/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the documentary gripping, forceful and illuminating, even though it reveals little substantially new. He praises its clear, lively account of the evidence and details surrounding Khashoggi’s murder. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/mar/05/the-dissident-review-jamal-khashoggi-saudi-author-murder-documentary)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Robert Abele (70/100, inferred): Abele finds the documentary’s account of Khashoggi’s murder impactful and important, despite its familiar details. He praises its focus on Omar Abdulaziz and digital surveillance, while faulting the score, editing, and computer animation. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-12-24/dissident-documentary-review-jamal-khashoggi)
- **Screen Daily**, Anthony Kaufman (64/100, inferred): The visible page identifies this as a Sundance review but does not reveal the critic’s verdict. Its standfirst frames the film as an exploration of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, with no praise or complaint accessible. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-dissident-sundance-review/5146495.article)
- **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The article body is unavailable, so its verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint from the critic can be verified. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/24/movies/dissident-review-jamal-khashoggi.html)
- **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (60/100, inferred): Ebiri finds the documentary powerful but unfocused, with too many narrative threads and too little attention to Khashoggi himself. He praises the murder investigation as particularly riveting, especially its procedural detail and the Turkish authorities’ outrage. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/film-review-the-dissident-and-the-murder-of-jamal-khashoggi.html)
- **HeyUGuys**, Jack Hawkins (75/100, inferred): The critic calls the documentary important and an essential call to action, despite noting some omissions in its portrait of Khashoggi. They praise its clear account of the forces behind his murder and its continuing impact. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-dissident-review/)
- **The Playlist** (64/100, inferred): The page identifies itself as a review of Bryan Fogel’s The Dissident. Its verdict and specific praise or criticism cannot be determined because the article is blocked. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/the-dissident-review-20201223/)

## Details

- **Director:** Bryan Fogel
- **Director:** Bryan Fogel
- **Writer:** Bryan Fogel, Mark Monroe
- **Editor:** James Leche, Wyatt Rogowski, Scott D. Hanson, Avner Shiloah
- **Producer:** Mark Monroe, Bryan Fogel, Jake Swantko
- **Cast:** Jamal Khashoggi as Self (archive footage); Omar Abdulaziz as Self - Interviewee; Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud as Self (Footage); İrfan Fidan as Self - Public Prosecutor; Agnès Callamard as Self - Interviewee; Hatice Cengiz as Self - Interviewee; John Owen Brennan as Self - Interviewee; Fahrettin Altun as Self - Interviewee
- **Runtime:** 1h 59m
- **First release (the US):** 23 January 2020
- **Genres:** Documentary
- **Box office:** $57,000
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I6hjwblA_g

## Where to watch in Iceland

Not streaming, renting or buying in Iceland at the last check.

Also available in: AT, AU, CH, DE, DK, FI, FR, GB, ID, IE, IN, MY, NO, NZ, PH, SE, SG, TH, TR, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Icarus* (2017), Fi1m 76: Fogel’s earlier film, which found a Russian doping scandal while looking for something smaller. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/icarus.md)
- *Citizenfour* (2014), Fi1m 83: Edward Snowden in a Hong Kong hotel room; the same dread, with no music at all. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/citizenfour.md)
- *Collective* (2019), Fi1m 88: Romanian journalists pull a health ministry apart, patiently and without a single graphic. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/collective.md)
- *Navalny* (2022), Fi1m 78: The target is alive and on the phone to his would-be poisoners; grimly funny. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/navalny.md)
- *The Act of Killing* (2012), Fi1m 88: Indonesian death squad veterans re-enact their work for the camera; the tradesman’s tone again. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-act-of-killing.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-dissident