The Perfect Candidate

Director Haifaa Al-Mansour once again explores the complexities of being a woman (or girl) in Saudi Arabia through a charmingly direct and confident main character who subverts the status quo. Maryam, in some ways, could be Wadjda all grown up: an intelligent, independent young woman who knows what she's capable of and accepts that she'll have to overcome challenges to succeed. Al Zahrani is excellent as Maryam: She's endearingly straightforward, outspoken, and undeterred by naysayers. She's got a purpose, whether it's looking for a bigger-city job or campaigning to a group of male voters. In one subplot, she keeps bumping into Omar (Tareq Al Khaldi), the handsome grandson of a cantankerous clinic patient. Omar assists Maryam, and he seems interested in her candidacy -- and her -- but this isn't a romance, even if Maryam's sisters Selma and Sara keep winking at his contributions to her campaign.

The sisters themselves represent a microcosm of Saudi society: Older sister Selma (Dae Al Hilali) is an ambitious wedding photographer/videographer, and younger sister Sara (Nora Al Awadh) is more traditional and resentful of the gossip that Maryam's campaign has stirred up. (It's implied that the sisters aren't desirable matches because they're the children of musicians in a culture where some people believe that music and singing should be forbidden). Al-Mansour follows the father's band's tour, where he expresses hope that social mores are changing to become more accepting of musical performances again. The music is beautiful, and that storyline demonstrates how change comes at a cost (the men are advised to cancel a few stops because of security concerns). Despite its criticism of aspects of Saudi society, The Perfect Candidate also depicts the joy the sisters feel surrounded by their women friends, the sense of purpose Maryam gets at work, and the hope for a better, fairer day.