Film Review: The Perfect Candidate

The Perfect Candidate is the latest film from Haifaa al-Mansour, who burst onto the scene in 2012 with her excellent debut, Wadjda, which was notable for not only being the only Saudi Arabian film from a female filmmaker, but also being the first film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia. Considering where we are at this point in time, it’s astonishing to see films from around the world break new ground in such a significant way. And while Al-Mansour’s two English language follow-ups, Mary Shelley and Nappily Ever After don’t quite fulfill the promise that came with Wadjda (though, I’ve heard the latter film is solid enough), The Perfect Candidate finds her back at her roots, and it’s all the better for it.

The film follows Maryam Alsafan (Mila Al Zahrani), a doctor who works in a clinic that isn’t operating under ideal conditions. The biggest problem being the unpaved road that leads to the building, which is full of puddles that causes difficulties in getting patients inside, and when they do, they end up tracking mud throughout the building. On top of all that, Maryam deals with being generally underappreciated, not only by the men she works under, but also some male patients who refuse to accept her help, even if she is more qualified than the male nurses who end up taking over.

The inciting incident that kicks off the plot feels like something out of a classic farce. Maryam intended on traveling to Dubai to attend a conference, but her travel permit was expired, and she is getting no help in having it fast-tracked. In a last minute attempt, she visits a family friend’s office, but the only way his secretaries would allow her to see him is if she happens to be a candidate for the upcoming municipal council election, so in her frustration, she registers. Unfortunately, even after getting into the office, she isn’t able to get her permit, so she goes back to work.

But now that she’s gone out of her way to register as a candidate for the local council, she decides to actively take part in the election, and campaign, with her main goal being to repair the roads leading to the clinic. But as you’d expect, with her being the first woman to run for office in that city, she is met with some resistance, particularly from the men who can’t see anything in her beyond her being a woman, but she takes it in stride as she takes the steps to get her name out there.

With this kind of story, one would expect this to be a very politically charged film, and while there are definitely politics at play – as it is with most, if not all, art in general – the film has a very practical mindset in exploring these subjects. It has the grounded urgency of a Ken Loach film, and like some of his recent efforts like I, Daniel Blake or Sorry We Missed You, Al-Mansour explores these big, weighty ideas through the day-to-day struggles. Maryam doesn’t go into the elections hoping to break the glass ceiling, she’s just tired of dealing with the problems of the road, and she knows that her ideas will benefit everyone.

The grounded feeling is also reflected through how people react to her candidacy. The support she gets from her sisters, Sara (Nora Al-Awadh) and Selma (Dae Al-Hilali), can sometimes come off as begrudging at best, especially from Sara, the younger sister. Their widowed father, Mohammed (Shafi Alharthy), doesn’t take the whole thing very seriously, and doesn’t even get involved because he’s too busy on tour with his band. The filmmakers do a good job at making the interactions and sense of community feel real as opposed to having over-the-top caricatures.

The Perfect Candidate is a fantastic film, and probably one of the finest released in 2021 so far. Haifaa Al-Mansour handles the material with patience and sensitivity, but also with a firm grip on cinematic storytelling that keeps things effortlessly compelling from moment to moment. The camera work from cinematographer, Patrick Orth, keeps things simple, but smartly utilizes subtle yet clever blocking to get its emotions across. It’s full of big ideas, but it’s less about the political process and more about the individual journey, and that journey is carried incredibly well by Mila Al Zahrani, who starts off timid and soft spoken and evolves into a woman who is confident and willing to speak up when she needs to. You can feel the frustration, but also the hope in her actions and mannerisms. It’s a great underdog story, and it’s told in a way that is simple, but smart, and I fell comfortable saying it’s Haifaa Al-Mansour’s best work to date.

The Perfect Candidate opens in select theaters on May 14th.