Miriam Erez

I'd call it a Saudi version of Whale Rider. Excellent acting. Comparing to Alrawabi School for Girls, not only was the acting in Wadjda far better, but it was interesting to see a family that is NOT fabulously wealthy. See it!

A laudable production, if uneven in the casting. By which I mean that the character of Miss Abeer was really annoying. Not only was she flat and one-dimensional, but it was as if the writers couldn’t decide whether she was supposed to be comical or not. On the one hand, there were her toad-like features and her ever-present rod. On the other hand, she recited her lines with no emotion. The result was that she wasn’t even endearing, which you need for an annoying character, e.g., Kirk in Gilmore Girls: Annoying, yet comically endearing. So much could have been done with Ms. Abeer, and instead she’s just a cardboard cutout. On the other hand, I was impressed with the characters of Dina and Nof. Dina really evolved, from a ditz to a character in her own right, with opinions and her own way of expressing them. Nof had immediate appeal, and though there were times when I couldn’t understand her responses, her character was engaging to the end. It was also hard for me to understand Rukkayia’s purpose. She clearly wasn’t going for the same things as her mean-girl friends, Layan and Raina, i.e., boys and clubbing…so what was her purpose in the plot? Just to take her down, I suppose. But the problem was that she didn’t even elicit our empathy, so her takedown didn’t have the punch that it should have had.

Only white girl in KC who watched Soul Train. I not only enjoyed the show, but also the commercials for "Ultra Sheen, Afro Sheen, and Ultra Sheen cosmetics" and "Converse makes 'em, but Sears gives 'em soul!"