Review of Wadjda (2012) by Mohammed M — 04 Dec 2013

It's unfortunately been-there-done-that for foreign movies of a certain kind -- with the aim of using a simple narrative as showcase to the alienating flaws of their home country -- to have their protagonist's goals revolve around the possession of a bicycle (see: the landmark "Bicycle Thieves", last year's outstanding "The Kid with a Bike".) But that isn't "Wadjda's" fault. The tandem at the center of its kid lead's desires, like the film itself, is more so a representation of a rite of passage than anything frivolous or forgettable. "Wadjda" is written and directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour, Saudi Arabia's first-ever female filmmaker, and the first to ever shoot a movie entirely on location in a nation that views cinema as something sinful. She clearly means business, and yet her feature debut strikes as anything but.

"Wadjda" is told with elegant simplicity -- not as intent to rock the cradle as the film-heard-'round-the-world Iraqi drama "A Separation", but a punchy work of heartbreak and humanity nonetheless. Al-Mansour lucked out in casting a newcomer as spunky and compelling as Waad Mohammed is in the title role, a girl who enters a Koran recitation competition in order to buy a bicycle with the prize money. She's funny and fierce, not to mention strong and individual, and you'd root for her to stand out if only she weren't in a place where women are meant to be seen (barely) and not heard, or themselves drive cars or any other sort of vehicle. The danger is inherent. But Al-Mansour doesn't rest on her Saudi laurels. Rather than being one-note "Wadjda" is a film of complex emotional moments, that Al-Mansour handles with utmost care.

One could argue she does too much telling and not enough showing. But when she does induce the latter -- like in scenes laying out the colorful relationship between Wadjda and the young son of a politician from a different neighborhood, that jumps from playful rivalry to sly flirtation -- she gives "Wadjda" shades of grey and, not unlike "A Separation", a longing (and lasting) sense of uncertainty. It speaks truth to power by questioning the very morality on which we base societal ideals. (83/100).