The Perfect Candidate

The Perfect Candidate follows Maryam, a doctor working at a clinic in a small Saudi Arabian town. She applies for a position at a hospital in a larger city, but when she tries to fly to an interview, she is stopped at the airport because her travel paperwork, which requires approval from a male guardian, is not in order. Frustrated by this restriction, she ends up at the office of a relative who, as a government official, handles registrations for an upcoming municipal council election. Maryam signs up as a candidate, at first almost as an act of defiance, and then begins campaigning in earnest. Her central promise is to get the road leading to the clinic paved, and her run unsettles both her family and the wider community as the town confronts the idea of a woman seeking office. Mila Al-Zahrani plays Maryam, with Nora Al Awadh as Sara, Dae Al Hilali as Selma and Khalid Abdulrhim as Abdulaziz.

The film is directed by Haifaa al-Mansour, who wrote the screenplay with Brad Niemann and produced it with Niemann and Ole Nicolaisen. It is her fourth feature, following Wadjda, Mary Shelley and Nappily Ever After. Made with German and Saudi production backing, it had a modest theatrical run, taking about 1 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.7/10 from roughly 2,300 votes, and on TMDB 6.7/10 from 103 votes. A critics' rating of 7.3/10 from 83 reviews places it somewhat higher than the audience scores.