CYCLE CINEMA #13
“Wadjda”
The Story of a World Where Women Can’t Ride Bicycles

The interesting thing about movies is that they show us diverse worlds. 
The bloody history of the mafia. 
A war that happened on a distant star. 
The encounter between a hitman and a young girl. 
The life of a samurai at the end of the Edo period. 
A soldier in a desperate situation. 
A battle against a killer by the lakeside. 
Crossing borders, eras, and time, they bring us surprise and inspiration.

**”Wadjda” (2012)** is a Saudi Arabian film (co-produced with Germany) that was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Venice International Film Festival. The director and screenwriter, Haifaa al-Mansour, is Saudi Arabia’s first female filmmaker.

The story begins in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The protagonist is a 10-year-old girl named Wadjda. She is quick-witted and skilled at saving small amounts of money. Her dream is to ride a bicycle. She wants to save up money, buy a bike, and race against her male friends. Hearing this, some might think, “Ah, this is one of those poverty films from a developing country.” But that’s not the case. Her family is likely above middle class. The living room has a large TV and a game console. There’s a driver to take her mother to and from work (although it’s shared). They don’t have much to worry about in their daily lives. Her parents work hard and show her love. If they’re not struggling financially, why can’t she buy a bicycle? Because girls aren’t allowed to ride bicycles.

From our perspective, the gender discrimination depicted in the film is shocking. 
At school, girls aren’t allowed to speak loudly (lest men hear them). 
They must cover their faces and bodies with a hijab or other garments so their shape isn’t visible. 
Young men and women of marriageable age must not meet in public. 
They’re not allowed to listen to rock music on the radio (though this didn’t seem specifically because she was a girl). 
During menstruation, women must not touch the Quran.

It feels like an absurd world, beyond even science fiction. While recent changes, like women being allowed to obtain driver’s licenses, are visible, people don’t change overnight. Many are still bound by long-standing beliefs. In this irrational world, Wadjda comes up with various schemes to get her bicycle. Eventually, she decides to participate in a Quran recitation competition, despite not being good at it, to win the prize money and buy the bike…

Different countries and regions have different norms. We can’t simply say that our country is right and others with different customs are wrong. Even in our own country, there must be customs and rules that seem strange to outsiders (though it’s hard not to be shocked by the gender discrimination shown in the film). 

The expression on Wadjda’s face when she rides the bicycle is wonderful. Will this girl, who has gained a small freedom, be able to attain greater freedom in her future life? *Wadjda* is not just a story to enjoy but also a valuable film that offers insight into Saudi Arabia—and more broadly, the Islamic world’s—ways of thinking. I encourage you to take a peek into this diverse world.


🎬CYCLE CINEMA STORAGE🎬
#01 “The Bicycle Thief”
#02 “Project A”
#03 “Shoot for tomorrow!”(origin title “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”)
#04 “The Kid With a Bike (Le gamin au vélo)”
#05 “Izakaya Choji”
#06 “Cinema Paradiso”
#07 “Kids Return”
#08 “PERFECT DAYS”
#09 “Kramer vs. Kramer”
#10 “E.T.”
#11 “Gachi-Boshi”
#12 “Yesterday”
#13 “Wadjda”
#14 “The Zone of Interest”

Profile

Text_Hideki Inoue
I am from Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. I work as a writer and editor. My hobbies include hot baths, skiing, and fishing. Although I have no personal connection, I am independently conducting research on Shiga Prefecture. I prefer an active fishing style called “RUN & GUN,” which involves moving around actively instead of staying in one place. Purchasing a car to transport bicycles for this style of cycling seems like putting the cart before the horse.

Illusutration_Michiharu Saotome

CULTURE
CYCLE CINEMA #11
“Gachi-Boshi”
Struggle and struggle, and keep on struggling.

If you can find something to immerse yourself in life, wouldn’t that life be a success? Of course, it would be even better if you could make a living out of that immersion (in other words, doing what you love). Furthermore, it would be fantastic to rise to the top in that world. However, the world is tough. Despite striving from childhood and becoming a professional, it’s rare to be able to thrive in that world. “Gachi-Boshi” (2017) is a story with the former professional baseball player Hamajima (Kenichi Abe) as the protagonist. While he was a baseball player, he wasn’t a professional in heart. He smoked, drank, and was disillusioned. One day, he received a not […]

#Colunm
CULTURE
CYCLE CINEMA #09
“Kramer vs. Kramer”
The moment I first rode a bicycle, who I was with.

There was a film movement called American New Cinema. It consisted of films released in the late 1960s to the 1970s such as “Easy Rider,” “The Graduate,” “Midnight Cowboy,” ” Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and “Apocalypse Now.” Perhaps one of the reasons for the frequent use of young directors was the incorporation of messages or somewhat critical perspectives on society and politics, taking a different approach from traditional entertainment films. American New Cinema was enthusiastically supported by younger generations and had a significant influence on subsequent films. “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979) is also a prod […]

#Colunm
CULTURE
CYCLE CINEMA #15
“Anselm”
An Artist Who Explores Giant “Factories” by Bicycle

When you hear the words “painter” or “artist’s studio,” a certain image might come to mind: a chaotic desk cluttered with paintbrushes and tubes of paint, a large window flooding the room with sunlight, perhaps even a beautiful garden beyond. The film Anselm (2023), which depicts the German contemporary art giant Anselm Kiefer, takes the form of a documentary. However, it is directed by Wim Wenders—the renowned filmmaker behind Paris, Texas, Wings of Desire, and Perfect Days. In his hands, the film transcends a mere record of events, becoming a poetic visual experience where fact and fiction intertwine seamlessly. Kiefer is one of Germany’s most prominent […]

#Cinema