The Perfect Candidate
The Perfect Candidate (Arabic: المرشحة المثالية, romanized: al-muraššaḥa al-mithāliyya) is a 2019 Saudi Arabian drama film directed by Haifaa al-Mansour. It was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 76th Venice International Film Festival.[2][3] It was also selected as the Saudi Arabian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[4]
Not to be confused with A Perfect Candidate.The Perfect Candidate
- Haifaa Al Mansour
- Brad Niemann
- Haifaa Al Mansour
- Gerhard Meixner
- Roman Paul
- Mila Alzahrani
- Dhay
- Nourah Al Alwad
- Khalid Abduirhim
Patrick Orth
Andreas Wodraschke
Volker Bertelmann
- Establishment for Audiovisual Media
- Razor Film Produktion
- 29 August 2019 (Venice)
- 6 March 2020 (Spain)
101 minutes
Saudi Arabia
Arabic
$1.3 million[1]
Plot[edit]
A young female Saudi doctor's run for office in the local city elections forces her family and community to accept their town's first female candidate.
Reception[edit]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93% based on 82 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "A message movie admirable for its subtlety as well as its execution, The Perfect Candidate faces oppression and powerfully advocates for change."[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]
Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Deborah Young called the film a "simplistic feminist tale with an irresistible heroine" and said: "The Perfect Candidate offers a candid view on Saudi Arabian society that will pique the curiosity of Western audiences."[7]