Apparently 2013 was a good year to have the number twelve in your movie title (12 Years a Slave and Short Term 12) as well as an abstract meaning of the word color (Blue Is the Warmest Color and Upstream Color). And speaking of color, a couple highly praised films (Frances Ha and Nebraska) were shot only in black-and-white. While some films void of color such as Escape From Tomorrow and Computer Chess did not make our list, a film set in the black void of space did (Gravity). It was especially a good year for Matthew McConaughey and Brie Larson as each of them are in multiple films on our list.

Eight members of our staff voted on their favorite films of the year by submitting their own ranked list—those individual lists were mathematically converted into the list you see below. Before you dive into the results it is important to note that we were unable to see three potential list-changers before our voting deadline (Her, American Hustle, and The Wolf of Wall Street).

Way Too Indie’s Best Films of 2013

#25  Wadjda

Veiling undercurrents of politics and gender inequality with the simple tale of a smart girl who wants a bike is nothing short of genius – particularly when the story is done with so much gumption. Wadjda, both the first film to be shot in Saudi Arabia as well as the first to be directed by a Saudi woman, may not be infallible, but it is a sharp commentary that pierces to the heart of things just as well as its eponymous protagonist pierces our own hearts with her quirky, rebellious ways. It’s hard not to be inspired by her, and she’s bound to be a fantastic role model for young children everywhere, reminding us in small yet tenderly humorous ways how ridiculous prescribed gender identities can be. As WTI’s very own Bernard Boo points out in his review of the film, the male characters in this film are secondary, which is such a fantastic way for first-time director Haifaa Al-Mansour to give her female characters a prominent voice. Wadjda is not just a commendable debut; it’s an inspiring and charismatic journey. [Pavi]
Wadjda Review | Watch Trailer

#24  All is Lost

Emerging director JC Chandor’s debut, Margin Call, was a wordy chamber piece featuring an all-star cast, but for his second effort, All is Lost, he takes a refreshingly approach, shrinking his cast to a sole lead (the legendary Robert Redford) and giving him a mere three lines of dialog. Redford and Chandor’s tale of a lone man at sea is a textbook on visual and auditory harmony, with the sights and sounds of the swirling elements pounding Redford’s boat transporting us to another place entirely (an astonishing cinematic feat only matched this year by Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity). We’re given virtually zero background about Redford’s character, but by the end of the film, we learn volumes about his mental, physical, and spiritual resilience. Is his fight for survival an exhibition of courage, or is it all for naught? [Bernard]
All is Lost Review | Watch Trailer

#23  About Time

I was so full of optimism and adoration for Richard Curtis when I left the cinema after seeing About Time. He was able to once again capture the hearts of all wishful thinkers and hopeless romantics, including myself. A really lovely tale staring two great leads that you fall in love with almost immediately, however, as Ananda states in her review, anyone more concerned with space-time continuums or time travel paradoxes should just bypass this film, as it really is just another Richard Curtis movie and thus all sense of reality should be left at the door.

But it is another great British classic to go alongside Bridget Jones, Love Actually and Notting Hill – you know those select few films that you’re never sure it’s okay to admit loving, but everyone really wants to. Well I’m singing it loud and proud, I thoroughly enjoyed About Time as much as any film I have seen this year and I can’t wait for its purchase release so that I can re-watch it over and over again. [Amy]
About Time Review | Watch Trailer

#22  Drinking Buddies

Considering Drinking Buddies had roughly ten times the amount of budget that director Joe Swanberg had for previous films, many thought this to be his crossover into the Hollywood system. And in some ways it is true. But considering the budget was only half a million dollars (well under most films you see nowadays), it really puts in perspective where Swanberg came from. For the first time in his career Swanberg is able to afford household names (Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, and Ron Livingston) to star in his film. Drinking Buddies explores the dangers of getting too romantically involved with your close friends by utilizing familiar and relatable situations. Through the use of improvised dialog the film comes across as natural feeling as a film can be. The best moments of Drinking Buddies are when emotional tension is displayed without dialog because the characters are so well established that we know exactly what they are thinking. [Dustin]
Drinking Buddies Review | Watch Trailer

#21  The World’s End

The final film in Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy and by far the best. The World’s End is a highly entertaining science fiction/comedy hybrid that constantly fires on all cylinders. Simon Pegg leads a fantastic cast with the likes of Rosamund Pike, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan and Pierce Brosnan. Pegg, who has never been better, is Gary; an alcoholic who still holds on to memories of him and his mates trying to finish off the world’s toughest pub crawl. They try again 20 years later only this time find themselves in the midst of a colossal fight with intergalactic androids. The film is typical Wright, but as The World’s End barrels along to its conclusion, it starts to unravel a lot of layers that were not present at the beginning. What starts out as a high flying comedy soon turns into unexpected drama about alcoholism. Wright and his compatriots blaze a wonderful yarn about a group of men trying to reconnect with their youth and at the same time Wright constructs a meaningful film about poor souls who fall prey to the bottomless pits of despair. The World’s End is high class entertainment. [Blake]
Watch Trailer

#20  A Hijacking

Known to most people as that other film about Somalian pirates that came out this year (both of which were covered here), A Hijacking is one of many terrific dramas to make its way out of Denmark in the last several years. A corporate executive (Søren Malling), who starts the film giddy about successfully negotiating a sale, faces a tougher battle when one of his company’s ships is taken over by pirates. Malling’s character and a chef on the overtaken ship (Pilou Asbæk) are the film’s main focus, and as both men are trapped (one psychologically with guilt and a bruised ego, the other physically) we see them slowly crack under the pressure. Director Tobias Lindholm knows how to pile on the tension too: Negotiation scenes are filmed from Malling’s end, making them unbearably tense when things go awry, and the film’s biggest shocks come from its casual way of letting the audience see the passing of time. Captain Phillips may get all the fame this year, but A Hijacking gets the glory. [CJ]
Watch Trailer

#19  Mud

Mud was one of my Sundance London spotlight films; I had never seen McConaughey in such a sincere role. A story based upon one man’s pursuit to survive after being crushed by the undefeatable higher powers of the world. Mud (Matthew McConaughey) banishes himself to a deserted island surrounded on all sides by the Mississippi Rivers so that he will not be imprisoned for the crime he has been accused of committing in defence of the woman he loves. Two adventurous boys stumble upon Mud and once captured by the thrill of their secret mission to help him, do everything in their power to fight for what they believe to be right, freeing a man of the burdens that he carries and to find the woman he loves. [Amy]
Mud Review | Watch Trailer

#18  Stoker

Arriving the same year American Spike Lee would remake his seminal Oldboy, Park Chan Wook’s highly anticipated first English-language feature proved a kind of poetic statement of call-and-response to the tendency for North American cinema to re-make excellent films not just more linguistically palatable, but better while they’re at it.

Stoker stood in the face of this logic, bringing Park’s every lurid aesthetic chop together with richly stylized performances to deliver one of the year’s most disturbing, incessantly watchable, so-bad-it’s-brilliant American pictures. Matthew Goode is like a porcelain mask bound to crack and cut, his Uncle Charlie sharing a fascinating, not-so-deftly suggestive relationship with Mia Wasikowska’s elliptical India that’s at Stoker‘s brittle core. But it’s the boldness of violence – both physical and psychological – and consistency of vision that elevates the picture: at this rate, Park could direct the phone book and it’d be among the most considerately art-designed films of the year. [Jansen]
Stoker Review | Watch Trailer

#17  Side Effects

Who knew that Steven Soderbergh’s supposedly final theatrical feature would turn out to be his one of his most entertaining? Beginning with a stressed out wife (Rooney Mara) unable to handle her white-collar criminal husband (Channing Tatum) returning home after serving his sentence, she starts seeing a therapist (Jude Law) who prescribes her a new drug that apparently cures Mara of all her troubles. That is, until she winds up murdering her husband without any recollection of performing the act. The film’s first half is an unsettling look at the way prescription meds can alter one’s body, but it’s Soderbergh’s (and Scott Z. Burns’ terrific screenplay’s) distinct shift in the second half that elevates the film to something more than basic genre fare. Some people may be upset at the film’s blatant manipulation, but it makes a chilling impact. Just how much do we know about what we put in our bodies, and what it can make us capable of? Side Effects‘ second half makes us question everything we’ve seen beforehand, all while indulging in elements from 70s paranoia and 80s/90s psychosexual thrillers. The fact that Soderbergh can weave all these things together seamlessly speaks to his talents, and we can only hope that he’ll reconsider his early retirement from filmmaking. [CJ]
Side Effects Review | Watch Trailer

#16  Fruitvale Station

Following slain 22-year-old Bay Area resident Oscar Grant’s last day on earth, docu-drama Fruitvale Station is a resounding debut feature from young director Ryan Coogler, who’s as prone to take Hollywood by storm as his star, Michael B. Jordan. Coogler’s script pushes forward forcefully and cuts deeply, and along with Jordan’s breakout performance as Grant it helps to remind us of the humanity at stake in headline-grabbing travesties of this nature. [Bernard]
Fruitvale Station Review | Watch Trailer

#15  Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McConaughey’s towering turn as HIV-positive Texas tough-guy and alternative drug entrepreneur Ron Woodruff in Dallas Buyers Club has earned the once oft-shirtless Hollywood hunk much deserved universal praise. But standing right alongside him, towering perhaps even taller, is Jared Leto, whose eerily lived-in portrayal of gregarious transsexual Rayon is one of the most entertaining and charming actor transformations of the year. The script is solid, as are the supporting players, directing (by Jean-Marc Vallée), and visuals, but the dual career-defining performances by the male leads propel Dallas Buyers Club up to the #15 slot on our list. [Bernard]
Dallas Buyers Club Review | Watch Trailer

#14  Spring Breakers

I went back and forth many times on whether or not to place Harmony Korine’s visual and aural sensation of a film as the #1 on my personal list before eventually settling for the #2 slot. Korine’s Spring Breakers perfectly captures and presents the ethos of American youth. I realize most kids are not gun toting, sex zealots like the heroines presented here, the mentality of “I’m gonna get mine at any cost,” reverberates incessantly throughout the film. Spring Breakers is a visual wonderland. Korine uses every trick in the book to fully illustrate the colorful scenery of the Floridian debauchery-soaked landscape. His brilliant visuals are backed by a maniacal score by dubstep master Skrillex and electro wizard Cliff Martinez. Even though the film may be tough to watch at times, there’s no denying the magnetic power Korine holds over you. Spring Breakers is dazzling. [Blake]
Spring Breakers Review | Watch Trailer

#13  The Great Beauty

Immediately after watching Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty I had a sudden urge to go visit a city that I have not considered before. This is due to the dazzling imagery of the landscapes, architecture, and culture of a modern-day Rome that is contained within this appropriately titled film. Every frame in the film feels like it could be made into a painting, then showcased in an art museum, and be admired by the very same people that are portrayed in the film. The film is ultimately about a man who has trouble finding true beauty in his elegant lifestyle even though beauty is all around him. Sorrentino certainly finds this great beauty while making a statement about the current Italian culture. [Dustin]
The Great Beauty Review | Watch Trailer

#12  The Place Beyond The Pines

Because The Place Beyond The Pines came out so early in the year (March) it is easy for the film slip under the radar for end of the year lists. Fortunately, Derek Cianfrance’s film has stuck with me the entire year due to the amazing cinematography (one of the best opening sequences of the year) that pairs perfectly with the unsettling score of the film. This is a classic three act story that is best experienced going into it without knowing much about it—which the trailer brilliantly abides by not giving away too much details. The acting performances from Ryan Gosling and Brady Cooper are simply stunning. If I had to vote for 2013’s Most Forgotten About Film, The Place Beyond The Pines would be at the top. [Dustin]
The Place Beyond The Pines Review | Watch Trailer

#11  The Spectacular Now

As much about coming of age as it is about love in its many forms, The Spectacular Now is a sweet yet poignant tale that tips its hat to the American high school drama whilst thoroughly surpassing it in the best way. Our expectations of the genre are as humbled as popular high-school kid Sutter is when he meets Aimee, the quiet nerdy girl he’s never noticed before. Sutter has a “live in the now” philosophy, but Aimee’s arrival in his life switches everything up, forcing them both to confront their deepest issues. Director James Ponsoldt gives us all of the teen awkwardness and curiosity with none (or at least very little) of the melodrama, and Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley are spectacular leads; though the film is primarily about Sutter, Woodley steals the show with her quiet love and concern that manifest themselves so plainly in her every expression. This film feels familiar and yet so much more complicated than anything we know, all at the same time. [Pavi]
The Spectacular Now Review | Watch Trailer

#10  Upstream Color

How to recommend a film that will undoubtedly leave you scratching your head and utterly perplexed? Perhaps by saying, never have you enjoyed being confused in so lovely a fashion. Upstream Color, the second of Shane Carruth’s bewildering directorial feats, is about two people who find each other after going through traumatic experiences where their minds were manipulated and now they are missing memories and much of their bank accounts. It’s a film full of beautiful scenery and strange happenings. It’s about many things: falling in love, finding and creating identity, solving a mystery, exacting revenge, and all sorts of other weird things one could only start to fathom upon repeat viewings. However you interpret it, there’s no denying Upstream Color is truly intriguing to watch. [Ananda]
Upstream Color Review | Watch Trailer

#9  The Hunt

Mads Mikkelsen is at his best as a teacher who is wrongly accused of molesting a young girl at his school. The Hunt is undoubtedly hard to watch at times as family and close friends turn their back on him, all while Thomas Vinterberg’s direction ratchets up the intensity with each passing minute. Everything about the film is top notch and the supporting actors are great; but the film is owned by Mikkelsen (Best Actor Winner at Cannes) who is onscreen for nearly every second. Sure, its melodrama, but Vinterberg and company are more than up for the challenge; and they succeed with flying colors. [Blake]
The Hunt Review | Watch Trailer

#8  The Act of Killing

No other film this year touches Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing when it comes to the amount of jaw-dropping, shake your head in disbelief moments. Whether it’s former generals happily describing how they strangled innocent people with razor wire, government officials openly extorting business owners, a talk show audience applauding war crimes, or the sight of one of these generals dry heaving as he comes to understand what he did, The Act of Killing has no shortage of completely surreal and unbelievable moments. And I haven’t even described the re-enactments of the Indonesian military coup that the film uses as its starting point, all of which accentuate the stomach-churning feeling that goes on throughout Oppenheimer’s film. But what really makes The Act of Killing such a landmark documentary is the way Oppenheimer turns the footage around on viewers. Does Indonesia’s explicit endorsement of these actions somehow make them better or worse than the way Americans (or more generally people in the first world) implicitly endorse similarly oppressive and reprehensible behaviour? What makes The Act of Killing such a sickening film to watch is the realization that, as bone-chilling and incomprehensible this world is, it isn’t too far off from ours. [CJ]
The Act of Killing Review | Watch Trailer

#7  Nebraska

I grew up spending several weeks a year in my grandparent’s Midwestern town of 300 people. A town where the local bar was the only hangout and where many a conversation among neighbors revolved around the cars they drove and the farming equipment they operated. Alexander Payne (a fellow Midwesterner and Nebraska native) might as well have been writing about that town, tapping into the subtle humor found in the mundane of Midwestern life portrayed in Nebraska. I could go on and on about Bruce Dern’s performance as an old man duped into believing a marketing scheme is actually promising him a million dollars if he travels back to his native Nebraska to claim it, but the truth is his son, played with affable sincerity by Will Forte, provides a vantage point that is easy to relate to. A son coming to understand, or at least accept, the motivations that fuel his father forward and make up the man he has become in old age. Shot in beautiful black and white, which only adds to the lost-in-time feel of a small town, the film is quiet and hilarious, not to mention deeply touching. [Ananda]
Nebraska Review | Watch Trailer

#6  Short Term 12

A film that centers around a foster care facility, Short Term 12 could have been a clichéd attempt at manipulating our emotions with contrived characters and scenes. Instead, thanks to heartfelt direction from Destin Cretton as well as spectacular performances from the cast, it is exactly the opposite – a touching, genuine film that quietly leaves its mark in our hearts. Brie Larson gives the performance of her career, and possibly of the year, as Grace, a young woman who supervises at the facility, and is much loved by the children there. When a new arrival means she begins to confront her own past, and the traumas that lie within it, we’re drawn even further into her world, sympathizing with her emotions as though they touch us in our very flesh. The supporting cast are no less captivating, coming together to create a beautifully crafted film that confronts us with the reality of many lives. [Pavi]
Short Term 12 Review | Watch Trailer

#5  Blue Is the Warmest Color

Controversy has surrounded Blue Is The Warmest Color ever since the film premiered Cannes and won the grand Palm d’Or prize. Early on the debate was if the powerful ten minute lesbian sex scene was too graphic, too long, or just simply too taboo. However as time passed the lead actresses admitted to feeling mistreated during the filmmaking process (especially in the sex scenes) which sparked a whole new round of controversy. But with all this attention on the film, perhaps it proves that sometimes bad press is good press.

Putting aside all of the buzz surrounding the film, what you need to know is that Blue Is the Warmest Color is first and foremost about self-discovery and the intimate passion of love. The acting performances from the two female leads (Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux) are so effective that their love for each other is never in question. However, the film does not sugar cost the reality of love when it displays the tragedy of heartbreak. Blue Is the Warmest Color worth seeking out regardless of your stance on the film’s subject matter. This is masterful filmmaking and among the best cinema has to offer this year. [Dustin]
Blue Is the Warmest Color Review | Watch Trailer

#4  12 Years a Slave

One advantage to press screenings, sometimes, is there’s not yet much hype or disdain for a film. I had no idea going in the effect 12 Years a Slave would have on me. I knew director Steve McQueen was known for his effectiveness with serious subject matter, but am ashamed to admit I had never actually gotten around to watching one of his films. And now I worry that all the hype will actually deter some people from seeing the film, because when does one ever get in the mood to watch a film I personally described as “sobering and immensely difficult to watch”? But this film is in the Top 5 for good reason. Amazing performances and gripping imagery aside, 12 Years a Slave is storytelling at its most powerful. And partly what makes it so powerful is because it’s a true story. Every American should be made to watch this film, because each of us have exactly what this character/man of history, Solomon Northup, had, lost, and then regained: freedom. And McQueen’s cinematic reminder of just how invaluable a thing like that is, will always be timely. [Ananda]
12 Years a Slave Review | Watch Trailer

#3  Before Midnight

The third in Richard Linklater’s unprecedented touristic walk-n-talk romance series, Before Midnight checks in on Celine and Jesse 9 years after Before Sunset and 18 years after Before Sunrise. The couple’s once fresh, vigorous attraction to one another has begun to sour a bit as mounting mid-life stresses strip their romance bare, but Delpy and Hawke’s unparalleled chemistry is as crackling as ever. The progressively contentious (and riveting) interactions between the now-jaded lovers bring a raw intensity not found in the film’s predecessors, and as the stinging reality begins to emerge that the yappy soul mates may have reached the end of lovers’ lane, a profound feeling of desperation rocks their world, and ours. This is the first time we’re seeing these precious-to-many characters get their hands dirty, and not only is this the best film in the series, it’s damn near close to perfection. [Bernard]
Before Midnight Review | Watch Trailer

#2  Frances Ha

What can I say about Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha? The film is totally original and rare gem unlike anything I have ever seen before. I can honestly say that I’ve never felt so connected to a character as I did with Frances (wonderfully played by Greta Gerwig); she is the embodiment of every emotion and defeat we go through. Yet, instead of actually being defeated she rises and she fights—never letting the wavering flame of hope burn out, and that is what I found humbling, encouraging, and powerful. The script found in Frances Ha was flawless and brilliant; it was stylistic in every sense of the word. Frances Ha has my sincerest recommendation and is completely worthy of its high rank on our list. I challenge you to watch the film and not fall in love with Frances. [Amy]
Frances Ha Review | Watch Trailer

#1  Gravity

Our film of the year is a fitting champion in form, tone, and technique within such a banner year for the art precisely because it worked counter to so many worrying trends pervading in the industry as of late. A muscular 90 minute story in a sea of 2 1/2 hour-plus 3D action epics released every year, perhaps the highest praise we can offer Gravity is that it can (and often does) work without words. Is storytelling through visuals not cinema at its most romantic? Does that not emphatically harken back to movies at their most alluring and pure?

Gravity is a feat of virtuoso visuals and its excellent use of 3D technology goes without saying; it’s been said everywhere. But what most impressed me is Alfonso Cuaron’s unsentimental, almost ruthlessly direct narrative: you-are-there at tis most cathartically palpable, and relentlessly potent. This is space. and these are the turmoils of space. and here are two characters that can help you relate: even if you didn’t buy into the higher allegorical ambitions of Gravity, that much of the story, at least, touches everybody. And that is a thrilling thing for cinema. [Jansen]
Gravity Review | Watch Trailer

Our Best Films of 2013 Infographic

Haifaa Al-Mansour’s new film, Wadjda, is the first movie in history to be filmed entirely in Saudi Arabia, and it’s doubly amazing that the film is helmed by a woman in a country that’s segregated women from men for years in many ways. The film is about a feisty little girl (Waad Mohammed) that refuses to conform to the expectations imposed on her by her culture. But her biggest dream is to become the owner of a wondrous green bike she’s been eyeing for some time, even though society and her mother (Reem Abdullah) tell her that her virtue will be compromised if she were to do such a reckless thing.

Al-Mansour sat with us to discuss how it feels to break ground with her film, her favorite movies growing up, Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead, Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Theives, documenting what it’s like to be a girl in Saudi Arabia, and more.

If 10-year-old Haifaa saw this film, with Wadjda acting like Saudi girls aren’t supposed to, how how would she react?
I would have loved her! The next day I would be wearing the same thing she does in the movie. I’d be a groupie! I used to watch a lot of films as a kid, so if I watched a film like that…I don’t know. I used to admire all of the stars my age. In Egyptian cinema there was a little girl called Fairouz. She was like Shirley Temple. I grew up watching a lot of Egyptian cinema, black and white films and stuff like this. I loved her. I wanted a dress like the one she had!

What are some of your favorite childhood movie memories?
I remember watching Snow White. It was amazing. We watched the movie on VHS. I don’t know if you remember VHS because you’re quite young…

I do remember VHS, unfortunately (laughs)
(laughs) Well, I grew up with tape. We’d rewind and fast forward the tape back and forth. They weren’t all good memories. My father or my oldest brother and sister used to go to the local Blockbuster and go, “Here! Here’s a movie.” They grabbed a movie and said it was very popular, so we put it on the TV and started watching it. It was The Evil Dead.

You saw The Evil Dead when you were a kid?!
Yeah (laughs). My siblings and I were all gathered in a corner, screaming. We were traumatized for a while. Those were amazing memories for me as a kid because I grew up in a small town. A small town in Saudi is really a small town. There’s nothing happening, no life unfolding. In films, people were fighting for their country, for love…there were these big concepts that you don’t get to exercise when you’re in a small town. It was amazing. I love the medium. It made me see a different world.

Was it atypical for girls your age to watch movies as much as you did?
My parents are very traditional–they don’t speak English or anything–but they would allow us to watch films, read magazines and these kind of things. We had all this access to film, all this access to TV, to books, to magazines. All the kids in my school were very conservative. A lot of ideologies against art started emerging. They told me, “How can you watch films? They’ll corrupt your soul!” A lot of them didn’t watch movies because it wasn’t part of the culture.

Is it frustrating for girls in Saudi Arabia to be physically segregated from men in public?
It depends on what age. I made a documentary before this film (Women Without Shadows) where I interview women in Saudi Arabia of all ages. Women older than me have this knowledge of the world. Before the segregation, they could go outside…the society was very primitive. It was a rural society–people were farmers and the women would contribute by selling stuff. They’re not that educated–they maybe don’t know how to read or write–but still, their viewpoint is mature. Women my age grew up with all these ideologies. There was the interpretation of Islam, the oil boom, and urbanization. People were leaving the small towns to go to the big cities for work. Schools were becoming more militant. They were very scared, and their ideas of the world were very naive. Then, I interviewed girls Wadjda’s age, which is where I got the inspiration for the film. They were very feisty and they just didn’t care. “Why can’t I go outside!?” They belonged to a different world.

You address a lot of complex cultural issues in the film, but it doesn’t feel like medicine. It just feels like a simple story.
That’s good! (laughs) I tried not to be judgmental. I detached myself and put in situations that I found interesting. I found them interesting for a purpose. I put them there hoping that people would see them in the same way I do. I wasn’t trying to interfere. I just wanted to document life through a clear lens so that the audience can feel what it’s like to be a Saudi woman without telling them, “This is right, this is wrong.” I’m sure my opinion is there in the way I put the film together, but not in the way that I’m totally there. I tried to have a documentary style and detach myself. It’s a realist style, like Bicycle Theives.

That’s one of my favorite films.
I love that movie. The fact that it’s filming away from the studio and documenting life. It’s fresh after the war, people are rebuilding the country.

So De Sica’s film was a main influence on Wadjda?
Yes. It’s also mixed with Iranian cinema. It’s a school I felt I could adopt, to use the limited space as an artist and project more about the culture. I love Jafar Panahi and his film Offside. It projects a lot about how women are perceived in Iranian culture.

Where did you come up with the idea for the shot of the bike gliding across the wall? I love that shot.
I went to the Sundance Writers Lab. I wanted Wadjda to just see the bicycle, but it couldn’t just be a moment like that. There had to be an obstacle, and I wanted to build one for her. Fantasizing, I was like, “Let’s have a wall between her and the bicycle, and she’ll see the bike as if it’s a dream, floating across.” I was skeptical that the crew would be able to do it, so we tried to find a wall in Riyadh. We found one, and the bike had to be mounted at a certain level so that it would line up exactly with the wall. They did it, and…you can’t imagine. When you write things and you have a good crew, they’ll make it happen! It was amazing.

I’m sure some people in Saudi are offended by the film.
Oh yeah…

So I guess that’s an understatement! (laughs)
But they haven’t seen the film, simply because it’s a woman making a film in Saudi. I try to stay within the culture. I come from a conservative place. I know where I come from, and I know what space is available to me, and I need to make the best of that space rather than complain or just make a film that will never be seen.

I’m sure you were prepared for it to be a challenging shoot, but what was the most surprising thing you experienced during production?
There’s absolutely no infrastructure there. There’s a little bit for TV, but it’s totally different. We had a TV crew, but it’s different. TV crews always work inside. We had to shoot outside where people aren’t used to seeing a camera. People were upset and wanted to shoot us and chase us out of the neighborhood. Sometimes we’d only get half of the scene, so we had to go back!

Scheduling was different. We were working with Germans, who said we had to film from 7 to 7, for example. For Saudis, they’d say they’d come at 9 and stay until 9. No, they’re here until 7, so we’d have to pay them overtime. “We can’t pay them overtime!” It was like bringing two cultures together, but it was amazing afterwards how the production was all about people coming together, exchanging knowledge about life and culture. It was amazing, but the first week was difficult nonetheless.

Saudi is a segregated country, of course, so I had to be in a van with a monitor and a walkie-talkie.

Was it for legal reasons?
Nothing’s written, so it’s not illegal, but it’s not expected for a woman to be outside. Men and women working together in public would create a scene. People would interfere and they would try to stop the shoot, and we didn’t want to do that. For me, I didn’t want to clash with the people as much as make a film. That was the aim. It was also amazing to see some places where Saudis were happy and wanted to be part of the film.

So some people were happy to see the production?
Yes! They wanted to pose with the camera. (laughs) They’d say, “I know you! I’ve seen you!” because I had a TV show for a while. I was the host of a talk show.

You had a talk show?
Yeah, but it really wasn’t good. People would fight and we’d try to stop them, but they wouldn’t stop. We’d just cut to commercials. (laughs)

I’m sure people recognized Reem [Abdullah].
They recognized Reem, but it’s hard to film a woman on the streets. That’s the other reason we had Waad [Mohammed]. As a child, she has more freedom and room in the streets and I can film her. But, of course, Reem’s a big star and everybody recognizes her in Saudi.

Reem’s been doing TV for a while, but this is her first feature film, correct?
Yeah. She’s amazing. She’s used to working with a lot of male directors, and this is the first time she’s worked with a female. I feel there was intimacy. We could relate to each other on the same issues and she opened up to me. I’m very grateful that she allowed me to take her to places that are sometimes emotionally difficult for an actor. In the roof scene, she opened up and was really crying. For her, I felt it was almost like therapy. It’s a privilege for any director to have an actor who will give them this kind of access to their emotions. It’s very rare.

It was hard to get her. TV is established, she’s this big star, and there are all these channels making huge shows worth millions. There was us, this little film. We are a small film, and film isn’t established there. The only films are from Qatar, are poorly made, and never got distributed, so it’s almost shameful to be in a film in Saudi. There’s no history. We approached her again and again, and eventually she came on board.

I can imagine how you got in touch with Reem as she’s easy to find, but how did you cast Waad if there’s no movie infrastructure?
Getting Waad was difficult because we had to find the right girl, convince her parents and lots of other people. We saw lots of girls, and if we liked someone, they’d tell us no. We only had 7 days until principal shooting when we found Waad. She came in wearing jeans, similar to the spirit of Wadjda. She had a carefree attitude. I asked her to sing because I needed a girl with a nice voice, and she started singing Justin Bieber. (laughs) I thought she knew English, but she only knows understands Bieber. The new generation of Saudi are into pop culture, are always online, know the stars, get their fashion online, but they’re still local. Still Saudi. They’re not international kids, spending summers in L.A. and stuff like that.

The film will surely empower young girls not just in Saudi, but all over the world. But what’s more empowering is the fact that you, a female director, have made the first film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia. Was this on your mind as you started writing the project?
I wanted to write a story about my hometown, about freedom and celebration of that freedom. For me, filming in Saudi was necessary to make an authentic representation. I wasn’t trying to be the first female to film in Saudi or the first person to shoot a film entirely in Saudi. I wasn’t thinking about that. I wanted to make a Saudi film, so it was common sense to film in Saudi. It’s sad because lot of people who work in TV in Saudi leave and go to Dubai or Bahrain because they’re more lenient and open when it comes to film. I wanted to not do that. I think Riyadh is an amazing city and has the potential to give more. It’s a patriotic feeling! (laughs) I hope it gives the country a little push and provides more jobs.

Why was television accepted before movies in Saudi Arabia?
Because there are no theaters, no public exhibitions of films.

Are they building theaters now?
No. Maybe in five years. I hope the movie helps.

In perhaps the most definitive image of Wadjda, the titular 10-year-old girl’s bright, zealous eyes track a green bicycle as it appears to glide across the top of a stone wall alongside a dusty road, riderless, like a vision of happiness. Her eyes reveal her spirit: she’s driven, uncompromising, courageous, brazen, and full of big dreams. “That bike. Is mine.”

Set in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, the gorgeously pure and simplistic tale of girl and bike blankets several complex undercurrents, most of which tastefully challenge the conservative impositions of the kingdom on women: women are prohibited from driving, they often can’t show any body part through their clothes but their hands and eyes, they’re publicly segregated from men, and, up until a recent ruling by King Abdullah, were not allowed to vote or run for office. It must be a frightening reality to cope with, but Wadjda is unstoppable, and the character will no doubt serve to empower many young Saudi girls.

Wadjda is tremendous and will likely move and inspire any who sees it, but no matter how great it is, the most remarkable thing about it lies behind the camera. Saudi writer-director Haifaa Al-Mansour has created in Wadjda the very first film to be completely shot in the kingdom. She wanted to represent what life is like for women in the kingdom, so filming on actual Saudi soil was paramount. She directed outdoor scenes from inside a van via walkie-talkie, so as not to rile up the locals who would disapprove of a woman working with men in public. It’s hard not to let the historical significance of the film overshadow its actual cinematic value, but Al-Mansour and her crew certainly deserve recognition for their craftsmanship.

Wadjda (Waad Muhammed, knocking it out of the park in her first role), a pre-teen rebel who oozes ’90s American sitcom spunk, is a rare little thing; she listens to English rock music, wears Chuck Taylors, jeans, and print T-shirts that say “I’m a great catch”, has the hustle of businessmen twice her age (she sells homemade football bracelets to her classmates), and has secret meetings with Abdullah (Abdullrahman Al Gohani), a local boy she mustn’t be caught with. Muhammed’s lived-in performance looks effortless; when Wadjda’s bobbing her head in her bedroom with her headphones on, Muhammed looks like she’s genuinely digging the tunes.

Wadjda’s mother (famous Saudi television actress Reem Abdullah, ravishing) loves her very much, but her traditionalist roots won’t allow her to support her daughter’s transgressions. It makes for a wonderfully complex mother-daughter relationship that’s illustrated in both confrontational, intimately edited scenes, and gentle, warm moments of the two cooking and singing together in the kitchen.

The other major female presence in Wadjda’s life is her school’s headmistress (Ahd), who serves as the film’s cold-hearted heel and seems to cut Wadjda off at every turn, punishing her for the very traits and values that make her so wonderfully unique. She reeks of self-loathing as she sneers at the girl, doling out her wrath with calculated bitterness. The fact that the villain isn’t male (which would be too obvious and uninteresting) is both tasteful and creative. The male characters in the film are actually all secondary, which is great; the fact that Saudi Arabia’s (a theater-less country) first film is driven by women and directed by a woman is a movie-worthy story in itself.

Al-Mansour has been working behind the camera for a while–she’s worked in television and made Women Without Shadows in 2005, a documentary that stirred up quite a bit of controversy–but for this being her feature debut, her eye for visual storytelling is startlingly sharp. In the film’s opening, she pans across a lineup of girls’ feet as they recite prayers in school. Under their drab grey school robes, they’re all wearing black shoes. When Wadjda’s purple shoelaces on her worn Chucks come into frame, we immediately get the gist of what’s to come. It’s not the most inventive shot, but Al-Mansour executes it perfectly and it sets the tone just right. Then, there’s the brilliant riderless-bike shot, which is one of my favorite movie images of the year.

Despite Al-Mansour’s highly critical view of her culture’s sex-based traditions, the film doesn’t feel like the construct of a provocateur, but rather a beautiful parable that aims to guide Saudi Arabian culture into a new era with a gentle handhold. She addresses many gender inequality issues, but in the context of a well-crafted family drama the edginess of the controversial statements she’s making are somewhat veiled. This is a pot-stirring movie, but it can also be digested simply as a girl’s journey.

With the bicycle symbolizing ultimate dreams and desire, the film feels cut from the same cloth as Vittorio de Sica’s masterpiece, Bicycle Theives, but with an oppositely hopeful core. Hopeful, that is, to those of a liberal mindset; the conservative view in Saudi Arabia is that riding a bicycle compromises a girl’s virtue, which makes Wadjda’s dream of riding down the streets of Riyadh a controversial one. But to young girls who can relate to someone like Wadjda, the film will be invaluable; like the green bike with colorful tassels drifting along the dusty city wall, Wadjda can be their beacon of inspiration.

Wadjda trailer: