Cinema World Tour, Film #49
Country: Saudi-Arabia
Rating: 7/10
Wadjda is a very special film, absolutely worth everyone's time. Not only is it the first film entirely shot in
Saudi-Arabia, but also the first film directed by a female Saudi director- she often had to direct scenes over walkie-talkie because the Saudi laws forbid the close interaction between men and
women. For everyone who isn't too familiar with Saudi-Arabia, this film might be quite interesting as it portrays the country really well: the lack of freedom, the conservative-traditional
opinions, but also the ridiculous wealth of the country. The family this film is about is a typical Saudi family: big apartment, no worries except the
attention of the husband, nice appearence, a polite driver and the daughter's appropiate behavior in school. Still, the film shows extremely well how hard it is for young girls to grow up in such
a repressive society. Nonetheless, director Haifaa Al-Mansour tells Wadjdas story in an enjoyable, charming and often funny way. Result is a
free-spirited, emancipated and still uplifting film.
Anyways, this film is after all not Capernaum. It remains quite a light watch, neither very captivating nor really
memorable. Wadjda is a cute film with a good heart and good intentions, but seems often somehow unmotivated, or sometimes even mediocre. The main actress Waad Mohammed is not
outstanding, neither is the German production team responsible for cinematography and editing. All these aspects remain on quite a basic level, which doesn't make the film less enjoyable, though.
As I wrote before, Wadjda is a very special film, absolutely worth the time, especially if you don't really know much about Saudi-Arabia. Being the first film directed by a
female Saudi and representing the suppressed women of that country makes Wadjda even more important.
Write a comment