Most critics warm to Wadjda, and the praise clusters in the same places: Waad Mohammed’s performance as a stubborn ten-year-old set on buying a bicycle, and Haifaa al-Mansour’s light touch in showing the daily restrictions on women in Riyadh without lecturing. Reviewers repeatedly call it gentle on the surface and pointed underneath, a simple story that makes its points quietly. Nearly every review notes that it is the first feature shot in Saudi Arabia by a woman, and most say it stands up without that fact.
The reservations are about the plot rather than the setting. The AV Club finds the supporting characters thin and some of the social observations awkwardly inserted; the Los Angeles Times thinks the bicycle quest less interesting than the world around it; Screen Daily calls it relatively safe. Slant is the lone strong dissent, finding the metaphors heavy-handed and the storytelling saccharine. The spread is otherwise narrow, with British critics the most enthusiastic.
E
Empire
12 July 2013 · David Parkinson
90*
The film is a simple and charming pioneering debut from a female Saudi filmmaker that is striking by any standards. It singles out the spirited tweenage girl protagonist whose refusal to accept gender restrictions makes the story wryly charming and slyly subversive.
The critic finds the film impossible to resist, praising its blend of rebellion and sweetness in depicting Riyadh society. They single out the young heroine's determined quest for a bike amid cultural constraints as the central charm.
The film is a sharply observed, deceptively gentle portrait of a smart, stubborn Saudi girl discovering the limitations placed on women. It presents the facts of her life with calm authority and devastating effectiveness.
Haifaa al-Mansour’s debut presents a firm but understated social critique through an endearing coming-of-age story about an 11-year-old girl pushing back against restrictive rules in Saudi society. The critic praises the film’s visual accomplishment and its tender, hopeful closing image of Wadjda at a crossroads.
Al-Mansour's brave debut is a groundbreaking, deeply moving comedy-drama about a rebellious girl pursuing a bike as a metaphor for freedom in patriarchal Saudi society. It delivers an enjoyable, heartfelt tale with comedy and drama that never undermines its subtext on female oppression.
Praises the film as a real discovery and one of the most accessible Arab-language films of the year, highlighting its status as the first feature shot in Saudi Arabia by a Saudi woman director. Notes its feminist intent, appealing tone, storytelling, and strong performances by the lead actresses.
The first feature filmed in Saudi Arabia by a woman makes forceful points about gender politics within a light, unassuming story that is accessible and told with grace, warmth and clarity. It reveals male dominance and conservatism while putting women, girls and hope front and centre.
Appreciates the film's detailed portrayal of Saudi Arabian cultural specifics and the realistic, stubborn protagonist, but faults the one-dimensional supporting characters and awkwardly inserted social observations.
It is a very decent effort at telling an innocent-looking tale while putting in a few digs, and a brave film. It singles out the lovely performance by Waad Mohammed as the determined 10-year-old girl in a story that would be seen as a children's film in the West.
Wadjda is a well-crafted, liberal and humane message film that fascinates with glimpses into Saudi women's lives and will stir debate on women's issues. Blending Iranian and Western influences, it is an affecting but relatively safe slice of world cinema with international distribution potential.
The film is a fresh-feeling take on the trope of a child protagonist's travails mirroring wider society, notable as the first feature shot entirely in Saudi Arabia by a female director. It succeeds in highlighting female life experiences there while offering hope for a fairer future.
The film is a slim but distinguished addition to the canon of two-wheeled movies, capturing a girl's longing for a bike as a symbol of change and escape. It avoids being overly cute or preachy while conveying the hopes and constraints of its setting.
The pic transcends its novelty as the first Saudi feature shot by a woman in the kingdom and delivers a winning, handsomely crafted story with a charismatic lead. It uses a spunky girl to explore women's limitations within Arabian society with enormous sympathy.
The film is a remarkable feat as the first feature shot in Saudi Arabia by a woman, offering valuable insight into women's lives there. Its standard plot about a girl's quest for a bicycle is less compelling than the surrounding social observations.
Criticizes the film for relying on heavy-handed metaphors and conformist Hollywood-style storytelling that undercuts its feminist aims, despite acknowledging its historical significance as the first Saudi feature directed by a woman. Finds the setting intriguing but the execution mediocre and saccharine.
Wadjda is a simple tale of a ten-year-old girl determined to buy a bicycle, but its complexity and courage emerge from being made in Saudi Arabia by a woman director. The critic highlights how the film conveys female experience through everyday examples of oppression integrated into a deceptively simple, human story that feels vital.
The critic praises the film's insightful look at Saudi society through the story of a determined young girl, highlighting the terrific performance by Waad Mohammed and the director's subtle approach.
The film is a quietly radical, gentle story about a girl in Saudi Arabia seeking independence via a bike, with compassion towards the culture and strong natural performance by the lead.
The critic praises the film as a universal coming-of-age story that succeeds on its own merits beyond its groundbreaking status as the first Saudi feature directed by a woman. They highlight the natural performances, especially the lead child actor, and the director's truthful depiction of everyday restrictions alongside hope and human connections.
Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate
