Review of Wadjda (2012) by Ola S — 09 Mar 2013

A film from Saudi Arabia it's very hard not to like. 10-year-old Wadjda is a somewhat rebellious girl. Being a rebel in that society means wearing basket shoes in school, listening to Western rock music at home and being friend with a boy her age. But she mustn't sing too loud at home, because men can hear her.

Wadjda also wants a bike. It's not good. It's not good at all. She makes bracelets at home, but that doesn't make her enough money. So she starts to eagerly study the Quran to win a competition.

It's everyday life and everyday heroes here. The story is told with humor and you may perhaps find that people are more or less the same in different cultures, although there are chasms between what's forbidden and not.