Film Review: Wadjda (2012)

All Wadjda (Waad Mohammed) wants is a bicycle. She is an intelligent, grounded 11-year-old who has no real interest in adhering to customs or law. She wears converse sneakers and makes bracelets in football colours to sell to girls at school. When her mother (Reem Abdullah) wont give Wadjda what she wants most (“you won’t be able to have children if you ride a bike!”), she enters a Koran reciting competition in order to fulfil her dreams.

Saudi Arabia occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula and is the birthplace of Islam. It is also perceived to embody the more conservative values of the religion which includes a patriarchal tradition granting men authority over women. In terms of modernisation it also appears that in many ways it is behind a great majority of the world. It is incredibly challenging to not generalise when there are very limited chances to gain an insight into Saudi Arabia, a country so cut off from the world. We can never fairly and accurately judge life there because we are never given the chance to see it. Wadjda puts a human face of this otherwise hidden culture.

Writer/director Haifaa Al-Mansour spent a great deal of her time on location directing Wadjda while hidden in a van as men and women are not able to work together in public in Saudi Arabia. Wadjda is the first feature-length film made by a female Saudi director and also the first to be entirely shot in Saudi Arabia. This film is a defiant move in a country where cinema is almost non-existent.

There is by no means an extreme rejection of religion, but what Al-Mansour is really searching for is an acceptance of women as human beings with fundamental rights. Wadjda subtly points out the injustices faced by women everyday and by making this film Al-Mansour has made history. One can only imagine the obstacles she had to overcome to get there, but the result is a non-confrontational film that despite its intense subject matter manages to avoid dramatics. Through Wadjda she wanted to prompt discussion and progression rather than dwell on the oppressive parts in society.

There are heartfelt performances by all involved, especially from Mohammed in the title role. Wadjda is a smart and switched on girl who is constrained by the conservative society bounding her. She’s very funny and doesn’t apologise for being herself, with Mohammed bringing her maturity and natural charisma to the role.

Al-Mansour has given us an insight into a culture we have never been able to see before through cinema. Wadjda succeeds in eliminating the men that dominate this society from screen time, ensuring the film is told through women in every possible sense. This story is inspirational and gives us hope for a more progressive future.

Wadjda screened as part of the 62nd annual Melbourne International Film Festival.

★★★★☆