Synopsis: Wadjda (Waad Mohammed), a 10-year-old girl from the outskirts of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, dreams of owning a bicycle so she can race with the boy next door, Abdullah (Abdulrahman Al-Guhani). But her mother (Reem Abdullah) disagrees, as female cycling is considered taboo locally. Wadjda still does whatever it takes to raise her own money, whether it's trying to sell homemade gadgets at school or signing up for a prize-winning recitation contest of the Koran that she doesn't know anything about. But social constraints and religious constraints have always followed her closely. Wajda, directed by Saudi female director Haifaa Al-Mansourz, is the first full-length feature film to be filmed in Saudi Arabia. As a conservative Arab country, Saudi Arabia has no movie theaters or related industries. Therefore, this film reflecting Saudi women's yearning for freedom is a landmark. Not only that, "Waganda" is also a masterpiece that is close to life and touching and sincere. Since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2012, it has attracted attention and won many awards. Wadjda is the name of the heroine in the film. At the age of ten, she lives in Riyadh, the traditional capital of Saudi Arabia, but her personality is very optimistic and resolute. She not only likes to wear canvas shoes banned by the teacher, but also likes to listen to rock music, which is regarded as the voice of Mi Mi in the local area. Wadjda watched him ride with the other boys after a chase with the boy next door, Abdullah, and had the idea of owning a bike and Abdullah racing. However, it is a local taboo for women to ride bicycles, and her mother naturally did not agree. The parents' gifts are not expected, and Wadjda, who is independent and smart, managed to raise money by himself, and the fun of the film has also increased. For example, she will first set up with the car dealer to keep the bike she likes, and at the same time increase the production of homemade small goods and sell them at the school at a higher price. In desperation, he went up to the mountains and finally met a tiger, but Wadjda's small business was discovered by the teacher. In the face of abiding by the traditional authority control, she had to suspend the plan to make money to buy a car. In the main line of buying a car, Wadjda's own dealings with social and religious constraints are spontaneous and unrelenting. She even took part in an inter-school Koran recitation competition to promote religious ideas, because the generous championship prize money could fulfill her cycling dream. Although she didn't know anything about the Koran before signing up, and she was a complete amateur in singing duets, riding a bicycle freely was her faith. Another sideline in the film is Wadjda's mother's efforts to avoid her father's efforts to marry a second wife in order to have a son. Dad loves Wadjda very much, but his idea of inheriting the family is also deeply rooted, and he will not return for a long time in the cold war with his wife. Monogamy is the ideal of the mother, but unfortunately the initiative is in the hands of the father. Compared with the naive and simple Wadjda, the mother who knows the world is of course realistic, and it is no longer a moth to a flame. The theme background of "Waganda" is depressing, but the tone is sad but not sad and sometimes witty. The brave and aura of Wadjda is like a ray of spring breeze, bringing green hope to this country in the desert, and also bringing warm sunshine to you and me in front of the screen. (Text/11, British Business Daily)
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