[Movie Review] Wadjda (2013)

Posted on January 8, 2014 by thegrandshuckett in Movie Reviews // 0 Comments

Plot Summary: An enterprising Saudi girl signs on for her school's Koran recitation competition as a way to raise the remaining funds she needs in order to buy the green bicycle that has captured her interest.

Director: Haifaa Al-Mansour

Writer: Haifaa Al-Mansour

Runtime: 98 min

Main Cast:

Reem Abdullah as Mother
Waad Mohammed as Wadjda
Abdullrahman Al Gohani as Abdullah
Ahd as Ms. Hussa

Review: by Anthony and Lee

Nominated for both Best Foreign Film and Best Youth Performance for Waad Mohammed by the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), WADJDA was a must see for us, and we weren't disappointed.

What We Liked:

After watching WADJDA, it’s no surprise why Waad Mohammed was nominated for a Best Youth Performance award. She was spectacular as the titular character, Wadjda, a 10 year old Saudi girl. Her simple dreams and innocent childish desires were adorable and easily relatable. Mohammed’s performance seemed effortless. She really connected with and became Wadjda.

The simple to follow plot and portrayal of culture and everyday life in Saudi Arabia was where WADJDA really shined. Confronting one of the touchiest subjects in Muslim culture, the treatment of women, WADJDA did an amazing job of simply presenting situations without judgement or attempt to push an agenda.

The culture shock moments were handled very well, with Wadjda serving as a buffer in a way by questioning the validity and reasons behind the customs of the Saudi people. One particularly memorable scene was when Wadjda challenged the suggestion that she needed to play inside where she could not be seen by any men. Wadjda’s mother’s plot, in which she was coming to terms with the brutal reality that her husband would marry again, and seeing the non existent line between school teaching and religious teaching went a long way in displaying the culture without being preachy or overbearing.

Even with the major cultural differences seen throughout WADJDA, seeing the teenage girls painting their toenails and the women gossip, along with several other similar scenes, made it plain that we’re all human, no matter where we live.

What We Didn’t Like:

There wasn’t anything that we didn’t enjoy about WADJDA. It wasn’t overly exciting; there wasn’t much action. It was just a moment in time, so it’s not for those who don’t enjoy slice of life plots.

Summary

WADJDA was a very entertaining movie that told an endearing story with a strong performance from a young Waad Mohammed. In addition to the story, it gave a view of middle eastern culture from a non-war perspective that was nice to see.

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