SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Console best movie i've ever seen.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

johnnyboyz I don't really believe in giving films points; credit or positive reviews on the shallow basis that they merely are what they are. "Wadjda" is the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia - not only this, but is the first feature-length film made by a female Saudi director AND revolves entirely around the world of a little girl. This is quite something for a nation which, until recently, had both banned cinemas and are rather strident in what they permit their female population to do. The sheer fact that "Wadjda" even exists has thus led to the likes of John Hartl, of the Seattle Times, to say it deserves praise "...just for being what it is", but this is not a philosophy I find myself being able to subscribe to. I think it right to say that similar cries of acclaim were directed towards "Osama" in 2003, which was one of only a handful of films the nation of Afghanistan had ever made and was, I believe, the first to be produced in a post-Taliban era. Subjectivity, however, must always triumph.If "Wadjda" deserves any credit for anything at all, then it is for the fact that it is a damn fine impressive piece of film-making in its own respect. It is so competent, in fact, that watching it and researching the facts afterwards causes you to wonder if anything that you are reading about the strictness of film-making in Saudi Arabia even existed at all. Indeed, by the looks of things, their citizenry are as cine-literate as anyone else and are more than aware of how to put together a solid piece of drama film-making."Wadjda" revolves around a young girl played by Waad Mohammed, who is the Wadjda of the title. She lives in Riyadh with her mother and father; attends school and enjoys messing around with a boy named Abdullah (Abdullrahman Algohani). Wadjda is a bit of a rebel: she is bored by prayer recitation at school and wears trainers where everyone else dons more formal looking footwear. At home, she records pop music off the radio and dances to it in her room - because we're all experts in Middle Eastern cinema, we know from seeing 2009's "Afghan Star" that it is illegal for women to dance because one of the contestants in said documentary landed themselves in some serious trouble when she momentarily did such a thing. She has a streak of wit to her: "I'm too good looking to be related to you" she quips to a shop-keeper before haggling with him. The bulk of the film will go on to consist of a lust Wadjda has for a bicycle she cannot afford and will not have bought for her - a solution, however, arrives in the form of a Quran recital competition which comes with a cash prize. The exchanges between the characters throughout feel very real - this is seemingly a film about fictitious people in a given situation, of course, but it is also a film depicting a kind of liberation from being unable to act in front of a camera for the purposes of film-making. Both the editing and camerawork additionally do well to place you on the dusty streets of Riyadh. Al Mansour decides to take the opportunity of being the first woman to make a Saudi Arabian film in order to go down the route of a kind of progressivism - "Wadjda" is not a film particularly eager to make the case for the status quo, but it is not an especially aggressive film which stamps its feet for the cause of social change. Much of this, I think, is down to the fact the film is about children and a child - more specifically, a child who rebels. A film about an adult woman causing trouble, or mischief, may have been at once less subtle and harmed its chances of getting made. Moreover, Al Mansour appears to use the film as an opportunity to address the issues dominating contemporary politics in Saudi Arabia, but does so in such a way that is not preachy and assumes the viewer know nothing of Saudi society. I was unsure, for example, if the scene whereby Wadja's mother spends a good deal of time on screen in her own home uncovered, before covering her head with a burka in order so that her taxi driver will not see her face, was meant to be comedic or not: will Muslim men watching the film not see her anyway as she stands, on screen, before she covers up? Irrespective, if at first we were unsure of how men and women interact with one another in this place, we are certain when Wadjda's teacher outlines that a woman's voice is her "nakedness" if a man hears her speak. Best, therefore, to keep silent whenever possible.Wadjda's desire for a bicycle derives from seeing several boys riding bikes and her thinking it looks like quite good fun. The bike, therefore, comes to epitomise a sense of evenness. In conjunction with this, the director additionally depicts the otherwise harmless friendship between Wadjda and Abdullah - two foils otherwise spending the entire film at one another's throats but destined, we feel, to remain together for the rest of their lives. What kind of marriage they forge between them, and what role Wadjda might have in fulfilling the position of the wife, is perhaps uncertain: we sense Al Mansour hopes it will be different to what the reality might be if the film had been made forty years earlier.

zzzorf This was a beautiful little movie. While I don't know much about the religion the movie was simple enough that it filled in any gaps that I had to understand what was going on. The story was simple which allowed for more exploration of the characters, thus making you care more. All round this was a good movie that I recommend for anyone to watch if you get a chance.

realanjenkins 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.

jedavis-46864 In the this film, it showed that women do not have as many rights in Saudi Arabia as they do in the United States. It was very interesting to get a different perspective of their culture. The main character, Wadja, was trying to save up for a bike to race her friend. Throughout the film we saw the way of life that the women live. We learned about marital customs and how strict the women's rules were to live their life. Overall, I liked this film. It made me very happy when Wadja got her bike in the end. This shows us that Wadja's perseverance throughout the film pays off.