Wadjda Review

It's remarkable that the first feature filmed entirely within Saudi Arabia (which has no cinemas) was directed by a woman. But what is even more pleasing is that its protagonist is a spirited tweenage girl, whose refusal to accept the restrictions placed upon her gender renders the story both wryly charming and slyly subversive. Denied a bicycle like her male friend’s in case it compromises her virginity, Wadjda (Waad Mohammed) sets about raising her own cash by entering the Qur’an recital competition run by her suspicious headmistress. The plot is deceptively simple, but the sociopolitical insights are devastating.