Review of Wadjda (2012) by Eric H — 04 Feb 2014

WADJDA is a straightforward tale of a young girl Wadjda (Waad Mohammed) growing up in a suburb of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, who wants to buy a bicycle. WADJDA shows how different people embraces different concepts of Islam.

On the other hand, the film also suggests that individuals - especially children - should have at least some means to express themselves, particularly when they have worked to hard to achieve their aims.

To restrict them is also to repress them; and this ultimately leads them to accept subordination as a way of life. WADJDA proves that the opposite should be true; not only for Wadjda herself but also for her mother (Reem Abdullah).

Wonderfully written & directed by Haifaa al-Mansour, steadily photographed, firmly edited & outstandingly performed (especially from the first time actress, Waad Mohammed, as the title character), Wadjda manages to make its voice heard loud & clear in spite of maintaining a light tone throughout its runtime and on an overall scale, is a welcome effort from the filmmaker who dares to challenge the nation's unfair moral codes against women and in the end, wraps itself up by delivering a strong emotional punch with its bittersweet ending.

Don't miss it.