Wadjda (2013)
Average Rating: 8.2/10
Reviews Counted: 60
Fresh: 59 | Rotten: 1
Transgressive in the best possible way, Wadjda presents a startlingly assured new voice from a corner of the globe where cinema has been all but silenced.
Average Rating: 8.1/10
Critic Reviews: 24
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 0
Transgressive in the best possible way, Wadjda presents a startlingly assured new voice from a corner of the globe where cinema has been all but silenced.
liked it
Average Rating: 4.1/5
User Ratings: 3,451
Movie Info
WADJDA is a movie of firsts. This first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia is the story of a young girl living in a suburb of Riyadh determined to raise enough money to buy a bike in a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl's virtue. Even more impressive, WADJDA is the first feature film made by a female Saudi filmmaker. In a country where cinemas are banned and women cannot drive or vote, writer- director Haifaa Al Mansour has broken many barriers with her new film. (c) Sony
Cast
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Reem Abdullah
Mother -
Waad Mohammed
Wadjda -
Abdullrahman Al Goha...
Abdullah -
Ahd
Hussa -
Sultan Al Assaf
Father -
-
-
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Wadjda Trailer & Photos
All Critics (60) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (59) | Rotten (1)
In Saudi filmmaker Haifaa al-Mansour's winsome wonder Wadjda, a young girl's aspirations provide an intimate glimpse into the possibilities and limitations of a cloaked culture.
Top CriticMore than a critique of Saudi society, "Wadjda" offers a character with universal resonance and appeal.
Al-Mansour seems out to make a movie that works in America. Which is likely a savvy move, since it seems unlikely she's going to get much traction back home.
Wadjda is a movie about freedom - and nothing represents freedom with the metaphoric simplicity and symmetry of a bicycle.
"Wadjda" is a terrific film.
Wadjda captures Saudi life on the cusp of serious change, but it's by no means a solemn drama. Al-Mansour writes and directs with a light touch and hopeful aspect.
Though the influence of Italian neorealism is clear in Wadjda's unshowy style and generosity of spirit, this film remains a singular achievement for all the best reasons.
Both uplifting and realistic, charming and incisive.
The film is deserving of its position as a pioneer. It's a heartfelt, touching peek into the day-to-day life of a culture Westerners rarely get to see.
The title character is a charmer and the peek behind the curtain of Saudi Arabia is fascinating.
Charmingly promotes a quiet revolution in Saudi Arabia through the point of view of the rebellious 10-year-old girl to make. . .a balanced, humanistic story.
Not all revolution starts with violence or even outrage. Sometimes it starts with a game of hopscotch.
The film ... is writer/director Haifaa Al Mansour's very polite gesture of disdain toward this system that keeps women as second-class citizens...
What keeps Wadjda from devolving into a sort of heavy-handed cultural show-and-tell is its title character.
Audience Reviews for Wadjda
filmed in Saudi Arabia - where cinema were banned, which makes it special in its own right.
Super Reviewer
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Foreign Titles
- Das Madchen Wadjda (DE)
- La bicicleta verde (ES)
I don't want to ruin it by telling what it's about.
I'll conclude by saying that it's the first feature film made in Saudi Arabia directed by the first female Saudi filmmaker.