If it were only to learn about current life and culture of females in Saudi Arabia, watching WADJA would be worthwhile. It is reported to be is the first feature film to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia with a female director, Haifaa Al Mansour. Her directing lends authenticity and insight to this tightly morally bound society where even childish rebellion causes ripples.
Wadjda is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburban Riyadh. Living in a conservative shrouded world, she rebels. Her focus becomes the new bicycle she wants to have to beat her young male friend Abdullah in a race. Girls are not allowed to ride bicycles and her parents won’t buy it. She tries to raise the money herself by selling bracelets, running clandestine errands and other schemes. Her strict but well meaning teachers thwart her efforts. Just when she thinks all is lost, the school announces a cash prize for a Koran recitation competition.
A huge effort is required by Wadjda to win this as she appears to come from a relaxed home and with her nonconformist ways is far from the modest pious girl expected to win. Wadjda insists on wearing sneakers instead of regular black school shoes, listening to pirated pop music and wearing t-shirts and jeans at home. Wadjda’s mother is preoccupied with convincing her husband not to take a second wife to enforce stricter rules. Unlike the parents of Wadjda’s young classmates, she will not ‘marry off’ Wadjda
The film is well-scripted with each storyline satisfactorily resolved in the end.
The main adult characters; Wadjda’s mother (Reem Addullah), her father, the driver and her mother’s friend as well as the teachers and shopkeepers are convincingly acted. The children’s parts are credibly acted by non-professional actors. The main two children Wadjda (Waad Mohammad ) and Abdullah (Abdullrahman Al Gohani) are engaging. Wadjda switches between serious contemplation, hurt and a cheeky smile. She is fun-loving and entrepreneurial and wins audience’s hearts.
WADJA is a significant breakthrough in Saudi Arabic filmmaking. Cheaper and more accessible technology should avail other emerging film-makers to perform similar breakthroughs.