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72 Lives, Countless Lies – Grenfell: Uncovered Review
I expected Grenfell: Uncovered to retell familiar tragedy. Instead, Netflix delivered corporate homicide masquerading as documentary filmmaking. My review traces how director Olaide Sadiq transforms survivor grief into prosecutorial evidence against manufacturers and politicians. Each testimony becomes ammunition targeting those who chose £5,000 savings over 72 lives. Grenfell: Uncovered dissects combustible cladding as calculated negligence rather than oversight. This documentary demands viewers confront uncomfortable truths about regulatory capture and systematic indifference that continues claiming lives across Britain today.
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The Fire Netflix Lit Under Authority – Grenfell: Uncovered Review
Netflix’s Grenfell: Uncovered, which premiered on June 20, 2025, stands as one of the platform’s most important documentaries to date. The film provides an unflinching examination of the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire that claimed 72 lives. Director Olaide Sadiq delivers a devastating 100-minute investigation that transforms tragedy into a powerful call for accountability, refusing to let corporate negligence and regulatory failure fade from public memory.
The documentary’s impact has been immediate and profound. As one critic noted, this is “a litany of failures” that channels rage into urgent purpose, while viewers have described it as “absolutely heartbreaking” and the platform’s most emotionally devastating release.
The Night That Changed Everything
On June 14, 2017, what began as a kitchen fire in Flat 16 of the 24-story North Kensington tower quickly transformed into Britain’s deadliest residential fire since World War II. Resident Behailu Kebede awoke to his smoke alarm at 12:54 a.m., discovering flames near his fridge and freezer. Within 30 minutes of firefighters’ arrival, the blaze had climbed the east side of the tower and reached the top floor.
The documentary follows this timeline with forensic precision, showing how by 4:30 a.m., the entire building was ablaze, with more than 100 flats affected. Through survivor testimonies and expert analysis, Sadiq reveals how a routine appliance fire became an inferno that would expose decades of systemic failures.
Corporate Greed and Deadly Corners Cut
The film’s most damning revelations center on the aluminum composite material (ACM) cladding installed during a 2016 refurbishment. As the documentary exposes, the decision to use combustible panels with a polyethylene core saved just £5,000 over fire-retardant zinc alternatives. This choice transformed the building’s exterior into fuel for the flames.
Companies like Arconic, the cladding manufacturer, had already identified these materials as dangerous in previous fire tests, with results showing “rapid burn, intense heat, and heavy smoke release”. Yet these critical test results were kept secret from regulators and the public. The documentary reveals that similar ACM-fueled fires had occurred internationally, but lessons from these incidents were ignored by UK authorities.
The Fatal “Stay Put” Policy
One of the documentary’s most harrowing elements examines the London Fire Brigade’s “stay put” policy. This protocol instructed residents to remain in their flats during the fire. This approach, designed for buildings with proper fire barriers and compartmentalization, proved catastrophic when applied to Grenfell’s compromised structure.
Survivors describe how smoke quickly filled escape routes, turning the central staircase into a death trap. The documentary shows how emergency operators continued giving “stay put” advice even as the building’s exterior burned, leading to tragic consequences for residents who followed official guidance.
Grenfell: Uncovered | Official Trailer
Voices of Loss and Resilience
Sadiq ensures that survivor testimonies remain at the documentary’s emotional core. Omar Alhaj Ali, who lost his brother Mohammad in the fire, provides particularly moving testimony about their journey from Syria seeking safety, only to encounter preventable tragedy in London. “We were so happy to be safe,” Omar recalls of their arrival in the UK, making their loss all the more devastating.
The director approached these interviews with exceptional care, recognizing the trauma within the Grenfell community. As Sadiq explained, “A lot of the Grenfell community have been poked and prodded for a long time, and there’s a lot of trauma in everyone that’s been affected by the story”.
Systemic Failures Exposed
The documentary methodically exposes failures at every level of authority. From Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s cost-cutting measures to the government’s deregulation agenda under David Cameron, Grenfell: Uncovered reveals how corporate interests consistently overrode public safety.
Particularly damaging is the film’s examination of how warnings from a 2009 London fire that killed six people were ignored by government officials. One senior official allegedly responded to calls for reform by saying “Show me the bodies.” This phrase would prove tragically prophetic.
Rare Political Accountability
In a notable coup for the filmmakers, former Prime Minister Theresa May provides new testimony, offering what critics have described as “a rare moment of personal accountability in British politics”. May reflects on how her failure to meet community leaders immediately after the fire “exacerbated” the sense that “authority had failed to listen to them”.
Her appearance stands in stark contrast to other politicians who declined to participate, highlighting the broader pattern of accountability avoidance that the documentary critiques.
Technical Excellence Meets Moral Urgency
Produced by UK indie outfit Rogan Productions, the documentary demonstrates the “sort of polish that usually characterises films on the platform” while maintaining its investigative edge. The film’s structure alternates between the night of the fire and the decades of decisions that made the tragedy inevitable.
Critics have praised the documentary’s “forensic skill” in weaving together complex technical details with deeply human stories. Rather than sensationalizing the tragedy, Sadiq’s direction maintains focus on systemic issues while honoring the victims’ memories.
Ongoing Dangers and Unlearned Lessons
Perhaps most troubling, the documentary suggests that similar tragedies remain possible. As Sadiq notes, “We’ve had cladding fires since Grenfell: there was a fatal cladding fire in Valencia last year, and another one in Dagenham, where luckily there were no fatalities”. Combustible cladding remains widespread on UK apartment blocks, creating ongoing risks for residents.
The film’s examination of international incidents, including a 2014 Melbourne high-rise fire that involved 400 residents but resulted in zero deaths due to proper evacuation procedures, demonstrates that Grenfell’s casualties were entirely preventable.
A Documentary That Demands Action
Grenfell: Uncovered succeeds not just as compelling viewing but as a catalyst for continued reform efforts. The documentary’s Netflix platform provides global reach for survivors’ ongoing justice campaigns, amplifying calls for criminal accountability and legislative change.
As one review noted, the film proves “willing to play the blame game” rather than offering another passive tribute. This approach transforms remembrance into activism, ensuring that the 72 lives lost continue to drive demands for systemic change.
The documentary serves as both historical record and urgent warning. The film reminds viewers that without sustained public pressure and regulatory reform, the conditions that created the Grenfell tragedy persist in buildings across the UK and beyond. In refusing to let corporate negligence fade from memory, Sadiq has created essential viewing that honors the dead by fighting for the living.
Final Verdict
Grenfell: Uncovered stands as essential viewing that transforms documentary filmmaking into a weapon of accountability. Director Olaide Sadiq achieves something remarkable by weaving survivor testimonies with forensic investigation to create a film that honors victims while demanding justice. The documentary’s greatest strength lies in its unflinching examination of corporate negligence, revealing how a £5,000 cost-cutting decision became a death sentence for 72 people.
Sadiq’s direction maintains perfect balance between emotional resonance and investigative rigor. Former Prime Minister Theresa May’s rare moment of political accountability provides compelling viewing, while survivor interviews anchor the film in human truth rather than abstract policy failures. The documentary succeeds in making complex regulatory failures accessible without sacrificing depth or nuance.
However, the film occasionally struggles with pacing during technical explanations of cladding materials and building regulations. Some viewers may find certain segments repetitive, particularly when covering ground already explored in previous Grenfell inquiries and media coverage.
Despite these minor shortcomings, Grenfell: Uncovered achieves its primary mission of keeping this preventable tragedy in public consciousness. The documentary serves both as historical record and urgent warning about ongoing dangers in similar buildings across Britain. Netflix has delivered a film that refuses to let corporate negligence fade from memory, ensuring the 72 lives lost continue driving demands for systemic change. This documentary will undoubtedly influence policy discussions and public awareness for years to come.
SOURCES:
Grenfell Uncovered, Netflix review: sober, vital journalism, How Netflix’s powerful Grenfell film sheds new light on the tragedy, Grenfell Uncovered on Netflix review: this litany of failures is rage, Grenfell: Uncovered on Netflix is this year’s most important documentary, Grenfell: Uncovered Review, Netflix Press Release: Grenfell: Uncovered Documentary, Grenfell: Uncovered – Rotten Tomatoes