Wadjda is the first film from Saudi Arabia to be nominated for Oscars
award this year. It is the official entry in the Best Foreign Film Category. The
film should be called a bold attempt given the Saudi Arabian conservative
circumstances.
Director: Hafeesa al-Mansour
Film Clip
The film is about Wadjda, an 11-year old girl, whose life desire is
to buy a cycle for herself. It is near impossible for a girl to ride cycles in
Saudi Arabia, given the religious patriarchy. But Wadjda is little bit of a rebel
and wants to get it at any cost. In depicting Wadjda’s pursuit to buy a cycle,
the director brilliantly presents before us different facets of a Saudi woman.
Wadjda’s mother has her own daily anxieties to deal with. Her husband is out to
marry another woman, and sadly, she has no control over it. Then there is the
over-disciplinary and ultra conservative school headmistress who seems to have
internalised the Islamic conservatism to perfection. While the director Haifaa
al-Mansour suggests that it is only women who can liberate women, she also
seems to send across a message that women can at times be the biggest hurdles
on the way of their own liberation.
The story of the film is seen through the eyes of the protagonist
Wadjda, played sensitively by the highly talented Waad Mohammed. The typical
Middle-Eastern music adds colour to the narration. What makes this film
important is the context in which it is narrated. Women have been fighting hard
in Saudi Arabia to drive cars on the roads. The Muslim clergy is yet to be
reconciled with such a demand. But, women are violating all ‘norms’ and are driving
their private vehicles. This ‘revolt’ is symbolic of the greater freedom that Saudi
women are demanding. Wadjda ,
incidentally, makes a similar, yet bold, statement en route to women’s liberation.
- Melwyn Pinto SJ
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