Wadjda

A title that reminds us of the great Polish film-maker (Wajda), a subject that revolves around a bicycle (Italian master De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves comes to mind) and a director whose first name is the same as the name of a Middle-eastern city! The name Wadjda is pronounced Wajda or Wajida by most persons who live in the Indian sub-continent. Woman director Haifaa Al-Mansour’s debut feature, the first film to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and the first ever made there by a local woman, is a pioneering effort that richly deserves the encomiums it has earned.

Wadjda, a 10-12-year-old Saudi Arabian girl living in the capital Riyadh, dreams of owning a green bicycle that she sees in a toy-store every day, while on her way to school. She wants to race against her friend Abdullah, a boy from the neighbor-hood, but riding bicycles is frowned upon for girls of her country, and Wadjda's mother refuses to buy one for her daughter.  Having earned the ire of the strict headmistress in her school, Wadjda decides to participate in a Qur'an comprehension and recitation competition, because the Saudi Riyal 1,000 cash prize (equivalent of about US$270) on offer would allow her to pay for the bike. Her efforts at memorising the verses impress her teacher. When Wadjda wins the competition, she is asked what she would do with the prize money, and, in her reply, shocks the staff by announcing her intention to buy a bicycle. On her behalf, it is announced that the money will, instead, be donated to the Palestine cause.

According to the writer-director Haifaa al-Mansour, it took five years to make Wadjda. She spent most of the time trying to find financial backing and getting filming permission, since she insisted on filming in Saudi Arabia, for reasons of authenticity. She received backing from Rotana, the film production company of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. However, she very much wanted to find a foreign co-producer, because, "in Saudi there are no movie theatres, there is no film industry to speak of and, therefore, little money for investment". After her selection for a Sundance Institute writer's lab in Jordan, al-Mansour got in touch with the German production company Razor Film, which had previously produced films with Middle-Eastern topics (Paradise Now, Waltz with Bashir). They came aboard.

Al-Mansour says that the original version of her screenplay was much bleaker than the finished product: "I decided I didn't want the film to carry a slogan and scream, but just to create a story where people can laugh and cry a little."Al-Mansour based the character of Wadjda on one of her nieces and also on her own experiences when growing up.  “No, I am not trying to show the West what is happening in my country--that is not my aim in making films. I want to bridge cultures and be more of a global citizen and tell a story the way everybody tells a story. I think it makes the world a better place when we listen to each other. I don't make films to educate the people about all of Saudi Arabia; I just want to contribute to a dialogue. Just the same way that, when an American director tries to make a film, they are trying to tell a story about themselves and how they see the world, not trying to convey all of America. My primary concern is telling an interesting story.”

Wadjda was filmed on the streets of Riyadh, which often made it necessary for the director to work from the back of a van, as she could not publicly mix with the men in the crew. Often, she could only communicate via walkie-talkie, and had to watch the actors on a monitor. The film, completed in 2012, has been shown on DVD and on TV. “We don't have commercial theatres. But we try to organise cultural screenings and sell tickets and all that, just to bring in a sense of what a film is like in Saudi. But still, theatres are not allowed in the Kingdom,” explains Haifaa, who did her masters in film in Sydney at the University of Sydney, but learned mostly by making films. She is the daughter of the poet Abdul Rahman Mansour, who introduced her to films by video.  With his encouragement, she studied comparative literature at the American University in Cairo, Egypt.

The success of her short films in the Gulf and around the world has inspired a new movement of independent filmmaking in the Kingdom. Al Mansour is well known for penetrating the wall of silence surrounding the sequestered lives of Saudi women and providing a platform for their unheard voices. "My work is dedicated to fostering direct political, social and economic change for Arab women,” she says

Very well-written, shot with great precision, filled with nuances, addressing almost all relevant issues without sounding didactic, studded with natural performances, dialogue that that says more than is heard…Wadjda is full of merits. A little on the down side: the young girl seems to be getting away with almost everything she wants, without much of an effort. Perhaps this was to be juxtaposed against a ghastly end, which was avoided in favour of an open climax. Also, the shades of grey imbued in her character do make her more human to identify with, while taking away some of the audience sympathy.

First-time actress Waad Mohammed as Wadjda, Reem Abdullah as her mother, Abdullrahman Algohani as Abdullah (the young boy who loves her), Sultan Al Assaf as her father, Ahd Kamel as Ms Hussa (who gets to mouth the best line in the film), Ibrahim Al Mozael as Toyshop Owner… are all first-rate. But Waad is a treat to watch.

Rating: ***1/2

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-4kosdSXR8