If you ever want to see a clear example of how the times are changing for women, the upcoming film Wadjda is a fabulous example!
To start with, it is the first feature film to ever be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, a country where cinemas are banned. If you think that is pretty amazing, remember that Saudi Arabia is a country where women cannot drive or vote. They are very much kept immobile and dependent on the men who lead their family, so it is an absolute gem that Wadjda is also the first feature film written and directed by a female, Saudi filmmaker Haifaa Al Monsour.
The film also stars the first female lead, Waad Mohammed, and is the first time that Saudi Arabia has ever received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film (it would be a safe bet that feminists like Germaine Greer would be as thrilled as the rest of us!).
Wadjda (Waad Mohammed) is a confident 10 year old girl full of entrepreneurial ideas. Wadjda’s youth and naivety has given her the strength to not be afraid of much, in what is traditionally a very anti-female culture. This also gives her the confidence to push the limits in following her dreams. And what her dream is right now, is a sparkly green pushbike so that she can beat her friend Abdullah in a race (despite the fact that she shouldn’t be playing with him!)
Unfortunately for Wadjda, her mother is from old school society where bikes are seen to threaten a girl’s virtue, so she refuses to buy her daughter the sparkly green bike. Wadjda decides to use her entrepreneurial skills to go and earn the money for the bike herself however her gorgeous handmade, plaited friendship bracelets are threatened by the cheaper bulk Chinese imports. She starts running several little schemes at school but gets caught and starts to worry that the green sparkly bike won’t be hers.
Eventually, Wadjda hears of a competition to recite Koranic verses with a significant cash prize. This is how she can get the bike! It will be hard work. Does she have what it takes?
While this is a heartwarming story, it still makes it quite clear the way life is for females in Saudi Arabia. Even though it is helping to build a fairer future with it’s female writer/director and a female lead, it still makes me remember how lucky I am to be an Aussie!
Reviewed by Kirstey Whicker
Rating out of 10: 8
Wadjda opens at the Palace Nova Eastend cinemas on 20 March 2014.
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