Learning from Wadjda: And You Think You've Got Problems!

Hands up who feels the weight of expectation and pressure to conform every day. I see lots of hands going up! Teens all around the world face challenges as part of their everyday life, but for some, the challenges are way worse and have far greater consequences for those that fail to adhere to cultural norms. Take Wadjda for example. A 10-year-old girl growing up in Saudi Arabia and living a life where woman are denigrated and denied basic rights. This makes me reflect on my own problems growing up in Australia, where I face comparatively trivial problems, like worrying about not having the latest iPhone, my train being late or my first month free of Netflix subscription coming to an end. But her strength and the way she approaches the challenges are attributes that all teens around the world should embrace.

If I were part of the Saudi culture, for all I know, I could be married off by now!

I see a lot of myself in Wadjda, a defiant, ambitious and rebellious young girl, challenging social and cultural expectations and values in a theocratic society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl's virtue.

As Saudi Arabia’s first feature by a woman shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, this film allows us as viewers to immerse ourselves and explore the themes of a world where gender discrimination is accepted and practiced, something that is rarely seen on big screen. Haifaa Al Mansour, a Saudi Arabian woman, directing this movie is a great triumph of the human spirit.

Wadjda's situation brings to mind the saga of desires and attempts to have something that growing up in Australia we take for granted. Having a bike and being able to ride it freely.

From the start of the movie, in the first scene, I found myself discerning about the ways different people grow up, in different cultures, in different parts of the world.

The opening scene of the film begins with a Panning shot used to establish the environment. It begins with the shoes of the young girls in a Saudi Arabia Muslim School. Among the repetitive plain, dull, uniform and conservative shoes of most girls is a bright pair of purple converse. The juxtaposition of the other girls shoes next to Wadjdas torn up converse sneakers demonstrates how Wadjda is an outsider to this community and the shoes become a symbol of her individuality. These shoes develop into a motif which depict how Wadjda shows her individuality and rebellious attitude throughout the film.

On top of this, we can hear the diegetic sound of the young female students reciting parts of the Quran. These shots represent the homogeneity of the children, who strive to live up to the social norms and expectations of their country.

Australia is not much different as school for us has structure and daily rituals.

This scene continues with a mid shot of the girls. We see Wadjda and her body language implies she is uncomfortable and bored with her lips are barely moving. We can all relate to that! She falls out of the religious hymn that the class is singing to wave at two older girls on the other side of the room, Wadjda's tendancy to not conform to what is expected of her becomes evident when she fails to sing the religious hymn by herself and she is told off by the headmistress. This scene lays the foundation of Wadjda's rebellious attitude for the whole movie.Is anyone else thinking about the hem on our school uniform that must be below the knees?

This is illustrated in the scene when the bike Wadjda desires enters her field of view on the roof of an unseen truck for the first time. It is moving farther and farther away from her as a symbol of her liberty. Wadjda chases the bike, metaphorically chasing her freedom and emphasising the lengths that she will go to to find the bike and her freedom.

The wall separating Wadjda and the bike in this scene may also suggest and signify that there is a barrier between her and freedom but as the bike disappears down the next street, her feet move her into action without a moment of hesitation.

Haifaa Al Mansour used a tracking shot in this scene to maintain action with a moving subject with the camera keeping the in the frame. Similarly, to the Bicycle Thieves (1948), the bike symbolises Wadjda's freedom with influence added by the fact that riding a bike in Saudi Arabia is greatly frowned upon.

Towards the end of the film, Wadjda learns that there is more dignity in self expression and being true to one’s self than to abide and conform to what is expected. This is a universal message in the sense that even though our cultures have differences, we are united in the sense that we have similar experiences and desires.

Through the effective use of cinematography, editing and sound, we have a thorough insight into Wadjda’s journey and experiences.

Pause to think about the challenges we face growing up in Australia and then compare them to what women in Saudi Arabia go through every day. There is a common thread of experience growing up in Australia and throughout the world as adolescents everywhere struggle to develop their own identity and voice in the face of cultural pressure and social expectations. However, the thread is broken when you compare the scale and consequences of the problems faced growing up in Saudi Arabia, where not adhering to the ideology and norms can be life threatening and soul destroying. Whilst we all feel the weight of having to conform, think about whether your problems are really that great.

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#Freedom #Identity