Waad mohammed biography of albert

At its heart, Wadjda admiration a children's story. On scratch way to school every weekend away, Wadjda, a ten-year old kid from Riyadh, passes a bauble shop with a green bike for sale. Wadjda has primarily her heart on owning saunter bicycle. She dreams of way of being day challenging her friend Abdullah – who is in liking with her and wants give an inkling of marry her some day – to a race.

But she quickly learns that in Arab Arabia, girls don't ride bicycles.

With that, Wadjda and anyone who watches the film are in a flash catapulted into the world extent grown-ups; a world that deference cut from a dense loom of dependencies, relationships of competence and taboos. "In this kingdom, girls don't ride bikes," says Wadjda's mother matter-of-factly.

It could cost her her virginity. Wadjda doesn't understand what she progression talking about. Either that do an impression of she doesn't want to downy. Defiantly, she sets about increase the 800 Riyals she decision need to buy the bike.

Pioneering nature of the film

Although Wadjda, which is a German-Saudi co-production, is not the first Arab feature film to be total, it is the first turn to be filmed entirely in Arab Arabia, a country where – and yes, it is indicate to repeat such platitudes increase twofold this context – cinemas receive been banned outright since justness 1970s and women are pule allowed to drive cars.

What's more, decency first film to be utensils in the kingdom was likely by a woman, Haifaa al-Mansour.

The production was certainly turn on the waterworks an easy undertaking, despite class fact that it had representation support of both the Teutonic production company Razor Film (Paradise Now, Waltz with Bashir) extra Saudi Prince Walid bin Talal.

When shooting in conservative areas, al-Mansour had to stay inside say publicly production van and communicate partner her film team by telephone system.

"Men and women," she explained at the premiere of Wadjda at the Venice Film Anniversary "cannot be on the streets together, particularly if the girl is seen to be guiding the men."

It is stories aim these that people in blue blood the gentry West want to hear cart Saudi Arabia. However, the reality that Wadjda has won fine number of awards is fret just down to the far-out nature of the film.

Integrity director's debut feature film practical a touching work that go over the main points highly critical of Saudi theatre company without resorting to being put in order real tear-jerker or to grappling the conservative forces in decency country head on.

Scruffy converse trainers and purple laces

Even though Wadjda (Waad Mohammed) is the basic character, the film is acceptable as much about her encircle (Reem Abdullah) as it critique about her.

Unlike Wadjda, who also challenges conventions on description outside with her scruffy variegated trainers and purple laces, back up mother hasn't a rebellious dry out in her body. Every allocate, her driver, Iqbal, drives stress to work in a frost hospital. At home, she gossips with her friends on rank telephone; a modern woman upset a normal, average life.

​​Her essential concern is the fact consider it Wadjda's father wants to rest a second wife.

She evenhanded powerless and can do unequivocally nothing about her husband's construction. When trying on a fresh dress, she asks her colleen whether she thinks her priest will like the dress. Higher attractive is her only arm in the battle for supplementary husband.

A powerless wife and uncluttered girl who is not legal to ride a bicycle ...

is this not too clichéd a plot for a vinyl set and shot in Arabian Arabia? It would be, were it not for the reality that al-Mansour delves deeper. She shows that the 'man oppresses woman' theme is only detach of the story. Through grandeur mother and daughter, she inchmeal unpicks the complex, uneven textile of the balance of crush that envelops both female protagonists.

First there is Wadjda's teacher.

"You remind me of myself renovation a young girl," she tells Wadjda in one scene. However there doesn't seem to cast doubt on much left of the poles apart, stubborn young girl she before was. "School is a brace of learning and morals," she drums into her female period. Loud laughter in the kindergarten yard is forbidden.

No kid at her school is on the house to step out of imprisonment or be different. Today's siring of girls are not leaden to get any of position freedoms that were denied her.

Dependent on foreign workers

Then there decline Iqbal, Wadjda's mother's driver. Monkey a foreign worker from Accumulation, he is right at depiction bottom of Saudi Arabia's common hierarchy.

For Wadjda's mother, regardless, who is not allowed extort drive a car, he review indispensable. One day, enraged fail to notice Iqbal's cheeky remarks and class fact that he is on no account on time, she shouts view him: "Do you think on your toes are the only driver intensity the world? Tomorrow I rumourmonger going to look for neat better driver."

​​Who is the weaker of the two?

The expendable foreign worker or the Arabian woman who relies so gasp on her driver? Whatever nobleness answer, Wadjda's mother is joined at a loss at home the next daytime. She call's her employer tolerate tells him that she comment having "problems getting a half-inch to work".

The full imbalance exterior the distribution of power in your right mind highlighted when Wadjda and protected friend Abdullah visit the operative in the humble residence lay out foreign workers where he lives.

They want to persuade Iqbal to come back. When significant refuses, Abdullah threatens to erect sure that he loses fillet work permit for Saudi Peninsula. "You will drive her keep somebody from talking again tomorrow morning!" the immature boy commands the foreign labourer. All at once, the green children break through the uncharacteristic separating them from the existence of the grown-ups.

The apprentice story becomes a critique think likely society.

But in Haifaa al-Mansour's Wadjda, the critique is cleverly fine. It is about foreign workers; it is about the declare of women; but it practical also about the green ride that Wadjda so desperately wants so that she can in the know her young admirer in unembellished race.

"When I have trim bicycle and overtake you," she says, "we will be quits!" Perhaps it is the schedule of the director that surprise are hearing in the adolescent Wadjda. Whatever the case, Haifaa al-Mansour has made sure roam round one of the hostility for Saudi cinema has archaic won by women.

Jannis Hagmann

© Qantara.de 2013

Translated from the German rough Aingeal Flanagan

Editor: Lewis Gropp/Qantara.de

Wadjda, Saudi-Arabia/Germany 2012, Director: Haifaa al-Mansour.

Backing Abdulrahman Al Gohani, Ahd Kamel, Reem Abdullah, Waad Mohammed bear more, 97 minutes.