Review of Wadjda (2012) by Neeraj D — 16 Aug 2013

It's not often you cans say that you've seen every feature film a major country has ever produced. I can now. In a totally full cinema I watched Haifaa al-Mansour's Wadjda. Filmed in Riyadh's suburbs, this will give you more insight into the lives of ordinary Saudis than anything you have seen before. Al-Mansour's job as director was made more difficult by not being able, as a Saudi woman, to be seen in the open directing men. All females' lives are made more difficult by just being females. I guess we knew this, but it is the constant alertness for transgression which is more oppressive than I imagined - "don't play there, those workmen on that roof over there can see you", "don't talk that loudly, men can hear your voice.".

11-year-old Wadjda wants a bike she's seen in a local toyshop. She wants to race her friend Abdullah. He's a sweetlad, he wants to marry her when their older (she can show her face, still being a child.) Wadjda's mum is not supportive, and anyway has other problems. She has only produced the one female child, and her husband's mother is currently scouring Riyadh for another wife for him so that he can have a son.

It isn't that there's actually a rule to prevent a little girl riding a bike, it's just that it doesn't happen. So much seems to be like that. Wadjda's mum is shocked when she goes to the local hospital to find out about a job there and sees that the women there do not cover their faces in the presence of the men they work with (did you know that? I didn't). So Wadjda has to try to raise the money for the bike and sometimes this leads her breaking school rules and falling foul of her strict headmistress.

This is not an angry film, although apparently Haifaa al-Mansour toyed with the idea of making it so. The males are not monsters. Young Abdullah is nice, the man who keeps the toyshop is very nice, even Wadjda's dad is nice really. In fact the only male who is not particularly nice is the migrant worker who drives Wadjda's mum and other women to work - ironic that Saudi has to use immigrant drivers to transport women to their work places - he is constantly rude and bullying to his passengers.

This is a very accomplished work. And it is an unexpectedly upbeat and gentle portrayal of female aspiration in the form of Wadjda's determination to get a bike and then to beat Abdullah. It is really something you should see. I booked my ticket weeks in advance because last time it was on near me I couldn't get one. It may never be on at a cinema near, so get the DVD as soon as it appears in January.