Review of Wadjda (2012) by Jon C — 26 Aug 2014

A deeply-moving and powerfully acted film about a Saudi girl just wanting the one thing to make her happy and equal to the rest of her peers.

She lives in a part of the world where strict rules and customs are enforced where women have less of a voice and a choice.

While playing with her best friend she decides that she wants a bike to race with him but not only does it cost a lot of money, her mother and her school think it's a sin to commit for girl learning the Koran.

So when there's a chance for her to enter a competition reciting the work of her school to win the money to buy the bike she becomes more determined than ever.

It's a tough lifestyle seeing that a woman's freedom is very limited but Wadjda wants the one thing to make herself happy.

And the filmmakers take an incredibly risk telling this kind of story to squeeze out of the social circumference that they are bound to.

It's not every day we see a film from its country of origin make such a bold statement of growing up, maturing, speaking freely, and being independent in its own right.