The Perfect Candidate
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHaifaa al-Mansour
Written by
  • Haifaa Al Mansour
  • Brad Niemann
Produced by
  • Haifaa Al Mansour
  • Gerhard Meixner
  • Roman Paul
Starring
  • Mila Alzahrani
  • Dhay
  • Nourah Al Alwad
  • Khalid Abduirhim
CinematographyPatrick Orth
Edited byAndreas Wodraschke
Music byVolker Bertelmann
Production
companies
  • Establishment for Audiovisual Media
  • Razor Film Produktion
Distributed byMusic Box Films
Release dates
  • 29 August 2019 (2019-08-29) (Venice)
  • 6 March 2020 (2020-03-06) (Spain)
Running time
101 minutes
CountrySaudi Arabia
LanguageArabic
Box office$1.3 million[1]

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]

Plot

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.

Cast

  • Mila Al Zahrani as Maryam
  • Nora Al Awadh as Sara
  • Dhay as Selma

Reception

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]

Awards

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Perfect Candidate (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  2. ↑ Vivarelli, Nick (25 July 2019). "Joker, Ad Astra, The Laundromat, Marriage Story to Compete in Venice". Variety. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  3. ↑ "Venezia 76 Competition". labiennale.org. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  4. ↑ Vivarelli, Nick (4 October 2019). "Haifaa Al Mansour's The Perfect Candidate Is Saudi Arabia's Oscar Contender". Variety. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  5. ↑ "The Perfect Candidate (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  6. ↑ "The Perfect Candidate Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  7. ↑ Young, Deborah (29 August 2019). "'The Perfect Candidate': Film Review | Venice 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  8. ↑ "Mostra del Cinema di Venezia: il premio Brian a "The perfect candidate"". A ragion veduta. UAAR. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
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