Saudi Arabia’s first feature film by a female writer and director Haifaa Al-Mansour, who worked from inside a van to avoid breaking Saudi law, skillfully crafts the country’s first official submission for the Oscar’s foreign-language category.

The film’s landmark historical achievement is gaining exposure with rave reviews and multiple film festival accolades. Even on its own cinematic merits, “Wadjda” is one of the best films of the year.

Mansour focuses on women’s daily realities in Saudi Arabia. Wadjda, a spirited 10-year-old girl who listens to Grouplove and wears Chuck Taylors with purple laces and constantly ends up in the principal’s office, enters a Quran recitation competition to win prize money in order to buy a green bicycle. Her goal is to race the boy next door.

The familiar underdog plot feels fresh with various underlying consequences Wadjda experiences while working to obtain her bike. The innocent act of riding a bike has controversial cultural implications. Under Saudi law, a women’s use of a bike was illegal until recently, coincidently after the film was internationally released. Women can now only ride “for entertainment and not for transport,” the new law states.

Mansour effectively uses this juxtaposition of sexism and innocence throughout “Wadjda” to critique her country’s discriminatory laws while maintaining an engaging, entertaining and often funny narrative. It is a family friendly movie set in a challenging society for women.

Visually, the film is stunning as it is the first to be filmed entirely in Saudi Arabia. Wadjda’s daily life in her home, school, and neighborhood reveals a part of the world never seen in cinema through the eyes of a young girl. Wadjda first sees the vibrantly green bike with decorative yellow ribbons, as it travels on the roof of a truck, appearing to glide across the horizon as if it is flying. Wadjda’s own vivacity and drive mirrors the significance of this magical bike.

The heart of the film shines brilliantly through the relationship between Wadjda and her mother. Both incredible lead actors, Waad Mohammed as Wadjda and Reem Abdullah as the mother, portray a strong bond between mother and daughter faced with many societal obstacles. When Wadjda is at school, she is taught and restricted to the laws of her society. Within the confines of her house, she is given more freedom to push boundaries. Wadjda’s mom tries to teach her to follow the rules, always for the sake of her safety, but she too frequently struggles with complying. This push of restriction and pull for freedom, unfolds in an emotional and touching climax.

There is a scene where Wadjda pins her name on a poster of her family tree, which only displays the men. Mansour has permanently pinned her name at the top of a previously vacant tree with this top-notch film. “Wadjda” is a revolutionary film introducing a fresh and genuine voice from a previously silent country paving the way for more unheard voices.