Wadjda
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Starring: Waad Mohammed, Abdullrahman Al Gohani, Reem Abdullah
Directed by: Haifaa al-Mansour
Running time: 98 minutes
Parental guidance: For all
Playing in Arabic with French subtitles at: Beaubien and Excentris cinemas
A story about a girl who wants to buy a bike doesn?t sound particularly groundbreaking. But base the story in Saudi Arabia, and that bike becomes a vehicle to venture into sensitive territory.
Haifaa al-Mansour made history just by making Wadjda, which is not only the first Saudi Arabian feature film directed by a woman, but the first Saudi Arabian-shot feature film. So like her title character, al-Mansour had obstacles to overcome.
In fact, dealing with adversity is what got her interested in filmmaking in the first place. Returning home after receiving a bachelor?s degree in comparative literature at the American University in Cairo, she found herself feeling stuck.
?Saudi is a very male-oriented society,? al-Mansour said from Bahrain, where she lives with her American diplomat husband and two children. ?Especially in the workplace ? I felt invisible as a woman. And as a young person wanting to succeed, I couldn?t in that setting.
?The way the social order is, I had to accept it. It was a low point. I felt depressed. I wanted a hobby. So I started making (short films) with the help of my family ? I wasn?t trying to be political. But when you have a voice, you find yourself. You find something where there could have been nothing.?
After having success with her 44-minute documentary, Women Without Shadows, in 2005, al-Mansour travelled to Australia, where she earned a master?s degree in directing and film studies from the University of Sydney. While there, she wrote a first draft of her feature debut.
The next step was finding funding, an ordeal that was eventually resolved with help from Germany?s Razor Films and Saudi Arabia?s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal?s film production company, Rotana.
?He?s an entrepreneur in Saudi,? al-Mansour said. ?He?s progressive and pushes for women. He came on board and believes in the film, which is great.?
Wadjda is not a confrontational movie. It?s a nice, simple story about a little girl following her dream. But al-Mansour packs so much in around the edges of her narrative that she ends up making quite the statement nonetheless.
Wadjda (played with great spark by Waad Mohammed) is a cheeky 11-year-old girl. She wears jeans and converse sneakers, listens to rock music and has an attitude. Unsurprisingly, she is always getting into trouble at her religiously strict school.
When Wadjda is teased by the boy next door, Abdullah (Abdullrahman Al Gohani), who rides off on his bicycle, she decides she wants one too. But girls aren?t allowed to ride bikes in Saudi Arabia, especially in public. Undeterred, she begins saving money ? selling handmade bracelets at school, charging her big sister to bring messages to her boyfriend. When a Koran-reading contest with a cash prize is announced at school, she decides to become a good girl and learn her verses.
Meanwhile, her mother (Reem Abdullah) has problems of her own. Wadjda?s father is never around and is planning to take a new wife, since his current one can?t provide him with a son. Wadjda?s mother must be driven to work across town (women can?t drive in Saudi Arabia) and negotiate with the grumpy pickup truck owner who performs this service.
At every turn, al-Mansour injects commentary into her film. But while she could have been more direct, the director preferred the subtle approach.
?I wanted people to feel what it means to be a woman in Saudi,? she said. ?Beyond the veil, there is so much happening underneath. I only touch on how it feels, as if people were peeking into a world to see what it?s like.
?I was trying not to be judgmental or disrespectful. Saudi Arabia is a very conservative society. There is limited space, and you make what you can in that space. Saudis are very nervous when it comes to film. People don?t trust the medium. They?re told through their conservative idols that film is not pure. I wanted them to feel safe in this human story about a girl who is moving, more than clashing, with her culture.?
tdunlevy@montrealgazette.com
Twitter: tchadunlevy
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