Wadjda
Dir: Haifaa al-Mansour
2012
*****
Sometimes the most simplest of things are the most remarkable. Wadjda, a young Girl living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, wants a Bike so that she can race her friend Abdullah, a Boy she has befriended. There is nothing extraordinary about this situation for most of us, but in Saudi Arabia this isn't as ordinary as it sounds. Religious laws and what is expected from women of all ages are explored here through the eyes of Wadjda, questions are raised but the answers are left to the audience. The symbolism of this simple premise is quite a big deal, never has something so little meant so much. Director Haifaa Al Mansour is the first female to ever make a film in Saudi Arabia and at great risk, for a lot of the film she had to hide in a van and direct via walkie talkie. It is also the first film to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, the ban on cinemas effects everyone, so the challenge to Saudi censorship is huge. I deserves all the praise it receives but I have to point out that politics aside, it is still a wonderful film in it's own right.