Upon seeing the film's trailer, I thought that Wadjda might just be the kind of heartwarming tale that garners award nominations without challenging audiences. Writer-Director Haifaa Al Mansour's film is definitely an underdog story, but it also contains a surprisingly intense depiction of oppression and well-developed characters.
Wadjda (Waad Mohammed), the 11 year-old girl who gives the film its name, is many things. She's a hustler who's naive (or honest) enough to trip up in her exploits. She's a girl who really wants to ride and race a bike. She's funny and sometimes charming, but not immune from the peskiness of her age. She's single-minded in her pursuits while still having the peripheral vision and heart to care about her mother's problems. Wadjda may be as precocious as other young heroines, but Mansour's direction and Mohammed's performance keep her from becoming a cookie-cutter underdog.