A fantastic little film directed by a woman in Saudi Arabia. That's astounding considering that women are pretty much not allowed to do anything there. Al-Mansour had to direct her cast from inside a van, because she couldn't direct the male crew out in the open. It's also astounding because Saudi Arabia has almost zero history in the art of cinema. It's shocking how well made this film is. Of course, the subject is the existence of women in the country. Waad Mohammed stars as 12 year old Wadjda, a wily young girl who does not like her lot in life. In particular, she wants to ride a bicycle, which is a huge taboo in Saudi Arabia (they're afraid it might break her hymen). Her mother (Reem Abdullah) is going through her own problems. After she had Wadjda, she can no longer have children, and her husband is trying to land a second wife so he can produce a male heir. Wadjda's attitude gets her in plenty of trouble at school, with headmistress Ahd (that's the actress' name, just Ahd) disapproving of every little thing she does. It sounds like the film is as oppressive as Saudi Arabian society, but it's actually quite joyous. Mohammed is so insanely lovable. I was hugely touched by the film.
