The film Wadjda directed and written by Haifaa Al Mansour explores the cultural orders that perpetuate sexual segregation in Saudi Arabia. The film achieves this by following the experiences of an ambitious young Saudi woman, Wadjda, who challenges the country's misogyny in everything she does. Overall, this interesting film comments on the oppressive intersectionality of gender and religion in Saudi Arabia and optimistically advocates for change through the symbolism of the bicycle. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Interestingly, the reality of active gender segregation in the film manifests itself immediately in the actual production of the film. This film is the first film ever filmed in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, director Haifaa Al Mansour is the first female filmmaker in the history of Saudi Arabia. Due to gender segregation rules in Saudi Arabia, Al Mansour was actually prohibited from interacting with his male crew; instead, she had to direct the street scenes from a parked van, looking through a monitor and giving instructions via walkie-talkie ("Wadjda Trivia"). Essentially, her country's misogyny challenged her as she made a film challenging her country's misogyny. Al Mansour's hope for change in this film is revealed through the symbolism of a bicycle. Throughout the film, Wadjda is always saving to buy a bicycle and eventually enters a religious competition to earn money for the bicycle. Although considered very “unfeminine,” Wadjda’s desire is to ride a bike and race with her male friend. At one point, Wadjda's mother even says: "If you ride a bike, you won't be able to have children." » The purpose of the bicycle and the resistance it generates are very important. The bicycle itself represents a means of transportation, progress and moving forward, all things that women fight for. The cultural opposition to the idea of ​​Wadjda cycling represents the current state of misogyny in Saudi Arabia. At the end of the film, Wadjda's mother uses her money to buy Wadjda's bicycle instead of buying a dress to impress her less than loyal husband. This scene seals the theme of female empowerment and the symbolism of the bicycle in the film. Finally, the intersectionality of gender and religion in Saudi Arabia is one of the most interesting topics covered in this film. This film explores how the combination of being a woman and living in a religiously fundamental culture can contribute to the overall oppression of women. This topic is addressed in the film when Wadjda joins the religious club with one goal: to win competition money and buy a bike. Although seemingly uninterested in the actual readings of the Quran, Wadjda memorizes the lines from the competition. For me, the most powerful moment in the film is when Wadjda is asked to recite a line from the Quran that describes his temperament almost exactly. In front of the whole school, Wadjda recites: "Great is the punishment they face... When we tell them: 'Do no harm on earth,' they say: 'Well, we only want to make peace!' Of course, they are the ones who do stupid things but they don't realize it. Wadjda is the troublemaker; she is the one who shakes up cultural notions by wanting to ride a bike, among other things. Without being fully aware of it, Wadjda does stupid things in the hope of peace and equality. By reciting this sentence, she wins the competition and the money and then announces that she plans to buy a bicycle with her new money. As a result, the director is dismayed and announces that he.