Wadjda (2013)

This film is about a young spunky girl growing up in Saudi Arabia. Her mother is married to a man but he is making a decision on whether to marry another women or not. Throughout the movie the girl, Wadjda, learns to ride a bike from a neighbor boy. She eventually can ride on her own but has trouble getting a bike of her own. When she asks for one her mother tells her bikes are for boys and that it would be very odd if Wadjda would get a bike. The father decided to marry the new women so the mothers heart is broken. She turns all her love to Wadjda and in the end of the movie she gives Wadjda a new bike.

Wadjda is about a young Saudi Arabian girl who challenges the social laws of Saudi Arabia. The movies main plot line is the struggle of Wadjda trying to get enough money to buy a bike. To get money Wadjda scams some people out of money as well as selling bracelets. The biggest sum of money was going to come from the Quran contest that she won However, there are greater problems within this because in Saudi Arabia girls do not ride bikes. Because of this the teachers do not let her keep the money. Another instance where you see injustice is with Wadjda mom, since in Saudi Arabia she can not drive. This leads her to get a driver and causes problems with her job. The end of the movie was very heartwarming because the mom buys Wadjda the bike instead of buying the dress she wants. Then in the closing scene, the guy Wadjda likes asks her to marry him when they are older.

Very little can be said without controversy about a movie made on a culture that typically rejects outsider's views. Frankly, I fail to see the point of the whole effort and the risks taken by passionate women filmmakers who make films like Wadjda. Maybe it is to keep the hope for change alive or to express dissent against social oppression. In either case, outsiders can only sympathize and then move on with their lives. Truth is, I'll never fully comprehend the state of women in the Saudi patriarchy. As a reviewer of this film, I choose not to comment on that part. I'd only say one thing. A lot of circumstances are comparable to the odds faced by women even the most progressive societies. If you are watching this movie with a sociological perspective then you're probably going to miss the fun. So, for the sake of the story, leave your judgement outside the door. What strikes me in this film is a child's will to overcome obstacles. It's not because Wadjda is a girl child that her story is more interesting. Although, that might be core to the plot. I can attest that all children at one point or another feel left out, isolated, unloved even. Wadjda's mother loves her but she has a lot of things to deal with. The inspiring part is that she understands this and is willing to work with whatever she has got. Her family is undergoing some stressful times that are usually hard to cope for a child of her age. Instead of acting out like an entitled kid, she hacks her way through troubles. She's a natural entrepreneur who would not back down. Its uplifting to watch Wadjda because of her ingenuity to invent her surroundings. She displays leadership as well. The film deals with hypocrisy nicely. Just compare the characters of Wadjda's teacher with the shopkeeper who holds out on the bicycle for her.Wadjda is a unique story. It is somewhat reminiscent of 'Children of Heaven'. There is a competition and prize money involved and the outcome is again wholly different and not at all what you'd expect. It is a heartfelt story about a child coping with abandonment issues through a cause. Her aim is to get a bicycle for herself and win a race with Abdullah (a cheeky little boy who's also her best friend and bears a lot of her brunt too). The goal she has set for herself, probably signifies one phase of hardships. Wadjda may have achieved this one with her single minded determination but where she goes from there is left to the audience's speculation. There is a lot of optimism there. Although, her adorable mission is enough to melt away the hearts of skeptics, you'll find her persistence quite infectious.

In this movie the Director Haifaa Al-Mansour try to Talking about older topics we went through all of the 80's generation. As Saudi girl, I think this movie touch part of me but in same time the main idea not there, She raise the issue in random way and she didn't show the other aspects of the case, or at least a solution On the one hand the cast was disaster. Some of them this was his first experience as an actor.As usual, unfortunately, it did not display the film in Saudi Arabia were not likely in the TV channels to this momentIn the end I saw the film just supporting for the directorI hope to see a great Saudi movie soon.