From the second I saw the Eponymous character dancing to “Tongue Tied” by Grouplove, I knew I was gonna love this movie. It’s such a simple film — a girl wants to buy a bike, but it is so much more. There are so many layers here. It’s funny, romantic, heartbreaking, and life affirming. Wadjda is such a little pisser, a smart girl, a rebel, and an entrepreneur. She reminds me of Marjane Satrapi from PERSEPOLIS or Antoine Doinel from THE 400 BLOWS. I can’t help but root for her. When the bitch of a headmistress does that to her at the end to her, I cried. She worked so hard and had it taken away from her. Still I was so happy she told the competition about the bike. It’s also tremendously directed by Haifaa al-Mansour. It’s insane that she had to direct in the back of a van, communicating with the crew and cast via walkie-talkie and watching the actors on a monitor because of Saudi Arabian rules about her being around men outside.
