WADJDA – The Review

In Saudi Arabia, women are deemed inferior, banned from driving, playing sports, voting, holding most jobs, and walking in public without permission. That ain’t right! But one woman there has, for the first time, directed a movie. Cinemas are banned there as well, so none of her fellow countrywomen will see it, but good for her anyway! Haifaa Al Mansour reportedly had to direct much of WADJDA over the phone because of that country’s strict rules on men taking direction from women in public, but she got her film in the can and that in itself is quite an achievement. The end result is a nice low-key drama with a deceptively simple story and some nice performances. There’s much charm to be found in WADJDA, but some clunky plotting and characterization gives it something of a made-for-TV quality.

WADJDA puts a human face on the current state of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. It’s the tale of a 10-year-old girl named Wadjda (Waad Mohammed) who’s determined to challenge a neighborhood boy to a bike race despite potentially serious repercussions. When Wadjda’s mother (Reem Abdullah), who works hard to makes ends meet (her  father is absent for weeks at a time), refuses to purchase her a bike, the young girl defiantly enters a Koran reading competition to earn the prize money she needs to buy it herself. Wadjda will study the principles of her religion and culture and use that knowledge to get what her religion and culture denies her. If Wadjda gets her bike, she’s going to prove that girls can race them just as well as boys, even though everyone tells her that’s just not something girls do. Not everyone is willing to accept a young girl who refuses to play by society’s rules, and the closer Wadjda gets to achieving her goal, the deeper her understanding of the division between the sexes grows.

WADJDA has an important, uplifting message but it’s marred by a heavy-handed delivery. The non-conformist side of young Wadjda’s character is drawn in broad strokes. The film’s first shot is of a group of schoolgirl’s feet. Guess who is wearing brightly-colored tennis shoes while the others all wear black sandals? Many scenes, such as her sessions with a teacher who lectures her about her place in society (and seems to spend a lot of time telling her female students to cover their heads!) yet is having an affair, seem functional rather than enlightening. WADJDA most comes alive near the end when Wadjda takes to the stage for the climactic Koran contest. There, the anticipation is clear despite the near certainty of the outcome. A kind of affectionate, geeky-kid humor edges into the picture during the scenes illustrating Wadjda’s friendship with a male friend her age named Abdullah (Abdullrahman Algohani), who teases her and lets her ride his bike. Much drama comes from Wadjda’s relationship her mother, who’s despairing over her husband’s decision to marry another woman who might bear him a son and heir (men get do that in Saudi Arabia, but I don’t understand why they would. I wouldn’t want two wives!). I would like to have seen more conflict and tension in a story that as it stands, feels modest and conventional and WADJDA didn’t stay with me for long. Acting is one of the film’s strong suits. Young Waad Mohammed, who was 10 when the movie was filmed, is a natural actress and Reem Abdullah is strong as her mother. WADJDA is so slight it may fade rapidly from the memory, but the innate suspense of the Koran competition, along with a spirited lead performance by young Ms Mohammed, turn what is in essence a formulaic film into something a bit more satisfying: an underdog tale that manages to inspire without being too sappy.

3 of 5 Stars

WADJDA opens in St. Louis October 18th at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Theater