The Perfect Candidate

The Perfect Candidate 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
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHaifaa al-Mansour
Produced by
  • Haifaa Al Mansour
  • Gerhard Meixner
  • Roman Paul
Written by
  • Haifaa Al Mansour
  • Brad Niemann
Starring
  • Mila Alzahrani
  • Dhay
  • Nourah Al Alwad
  • Khalid Abduirhim
Music byVolker Bertelmann
CinematographyPatrick Orth
Edited byAndreas Wodraschke
Production
company
  • Establishment for Audiovisual Media
  • Razor Film Produktion
Distributed byMusic Box Films
Release date
  • 29 August 2019 (2019-08-29) (Venice)
  • 6 March 2020 (2020-03-06) (Spain)
Running time
101 minutes
CountrySaudi Arabia
LanguageArabic
Box office$1.2 million[1]

Premise

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
  • Dae Al Hilali as Selma

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93% based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 7.13/10. 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 71 out of 100, based on 10 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]

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 (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  6. "The Perfect Candidate Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  7. Young, Deborah (29 August 2019). "'The Perfect Candidate': Film Review | Venice 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
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