In Haifaa al-Mansour's excellent film "Wadjda," our eponymous tween heroine just wants to buy a bike. Waad Mohammed plays Wadjda, a typical 10-year-old who likes rock music, sneakers, and hanging out with her best friend Abdullah, whose bike she admires. Undeterred by restrictions on women riding bikes in Saudi Arabia, she sets out to earn the money to buy one.
Meanwhile, Wadjda's mom is also facing some serious hurdles to happiness, like her fear that her husband might take a second wife who could provide him with a son. Then there's the exhausting daily commute to work, one of the many limitations on life as a woman in Saudi Arabia, as well as her rebellious daughter, who keeps getting into trouble at school.
"Wadjda" is the first film ever to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, and Haifaa al-Mansour is the first female Saudi director. According to Time, "The last final obstacle -- which they ran into after receiving official permission to film -- was getting around restrictions on women working in public. The solution: having al-Mansour direct from inside a van, offering instructions via walkie-talkie."
Watch the trailer for a taste, and then check it out in theaters September 13.
[via Deadline, Time]
