(The Perfect Candidate) «المرشحة المثالية» is the third feature film by the talented Saudi filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour, following her Saudi film (Wadjda, 2012) «وجدة» and the British film (Mary Shelley, 2017) «ماري شيلي». In her newest production, however, she manages to surpass what she so strikingly achieved in Wadjda.
She appears interested, once again, in the issue of Saudi women within a patriarchal society, much like all Middle Eastern societies. At the same time, Al-Mansour highlights the real reforms taking place in Saudi Arabia, whether in terms of women’s participation in public life and the arts, the allowance of public concerts, the establishment of cinemas, or the granting of women the right to drive and travel without a male guardian- among many other reforms that will undoubtedly be followed by further changes that have become a necessity.
Haifaa Al-Mansour relies on a simple, precise, and well-balanced screenplay that transitions smoothly across the different chapters of the story, without complications or extravagant camera work, remaining firmly within the film’s realistic atmosphere. She incorporates several glimpses and scenes with a comedic tone, particularly to highlight the role of music and singing.
She aims to reach the widest possible audience, both domestically and internationally. The film fundamentally targets the Saudi audience, as is evident from its context, its choice of protagonists, their diverse forms within the Saudi framework, and its interest in pointing out the many contradictions within Saudi patriarchal society. It wants to amuse them, make them smile, and even invite them to laugh at themselves and at some of their outdated customs. The film also seeks to provoke and inspire the Saudi audience to revolt against those customs and to reject clinging to obsolete values, especially in their view of the role of women. This is the central focus of Haifaa’s attention here, as it was in Wadjda.
Haifaa Al-Mansour intentionally adopts a chronological style of narration to expose the outdated dynamics in the relationship between men and women. She also pauses to address some of the obstacles that male artists face in Saudi Arabia. While she celebrates, documents, and affirms the reforms that have taken place in Saudi Arabia in recent years, she demands more. She makes it clear that the reforms achieved thus far are not sufficient and that it is time for Saudi Arabia to transition from closed-mindedness to modernity.
A Hostile Environment
The main character of the film is Maryam, a young doctor who works in the emergency department of a small-town hospital. Despite her enthusiasm and undeniable competence, she is surrounded by a hostile environment that rejects her role as a doctor- on the part of male patients, the hospital director, and some of her fellow doctors alike. Driven by her ambition to advance and secure another position, she begins the procedures to travel to Dubai to attend a medical conference. She is surprised at the airport, however- and after borrowing the ticket fees from her sister -to find that she is prevented from traveling on the grounds that her travel permit from her male guardian (her father) has expired and must be renewed. Her father is unavailable, and time is running out as the airline is only willing to grant a limited extension.
Maryam’s father, Abdulaziz, is a popular singer who has been consumed by memories and grief since the death of his wife, who was herself a wedding and party singer. He was deeply attached to her and has kept her first music tape with him at all times. Absorbed in his anxiety and his longing to be recognized as a singer with his band - which aspires to reach the largest possible audience - he has neglected the care of his three daughters: Maryam, his teenage daughter Sara, and his other daughter Salma, a wedding photographer. While Maryam covers her face with a veil, her two sisters wear only a hijab.
Although Maryam appears to be the most assertive and rebellious, her younger sister Sara - who is meant to represent the new, internet-savvy generation - turns out to be the most conservative. Sara strongly opposes Maryam’s desire to run for a municipal council seat, fearing the reaction of neighbors and the gossip that may follow. After failing to convince a relative, Rashed, who holds a senior position in the municipality, to intervene and help her travel, Maryam formally submits her candidacy for the municipal elections. The nomination comes about by chance, in a farcical scene in which the director of Rashed’s office refuses to allow Maryam to meet with him on the grounds that the day is reserved solely for interviewing candidates.
From that moment on, the film devotes itself to charting the unprecedented battle Maryam faces against a male incumbent who has always won the seat. How will she organize her campaign with the help of her two sisters? How can she host a gathering and invite women to convince them to vote for her- particularly given that her central goal is to pave the muddy road leading to the emergency hospital, which frequently impedes ambulances? And how can she directly confront men and challenge entrenched traditions? Even after removing her veil, she continues to face rejection from both women and men.
The Role of Art
Haifaa Al-Mansour adopts a directorial approach that relies on parallel montage, that is, continuous cross-cutting between what Maryam is doing with her two sisters and what her father is doing after he apologizes for being unable to help or stand by her side due to his commitment to a nationwide concert tour with his band. Within the thread of the father’s journey, the film depicts the obstacles the band faces in realizing their dream of joining the National Music Ensemble, which the government had announced earlier. Nevertheless, the father possesses a liberal spirit that allows Maryam to act as she pleases, work independently, and pursue her career freely, even as he remains privately concerned for her.
The film justifies this portrayal by presenting the father as an open-minded music enthusiast who believes in the power of art, while also depicting how the band faces threats from extremist groups opposed to public singing.
In her film, Haifaa Al-Mansour weaves together contradictions: the freedom for women to drive (Maryam drives her own car) coexists with the continued separation of the sexes and the prohibition of gender mixing at events, including weddings. The traditionally strict view that women should not serve as doctors- as embodied by the elderly patient who refuses to be examined by Maryam - gives way by the end of his arc, when he acknowledges his mistaken attitude after she saves his life and calls her the ideal doctor.
There are sweeping shots of the landscape from the car, as well as from the bus carrying the band, capturing the terrain between cities with its stretches of mountains and deserts. The film pays close attention to music and singing, in which emotion intertwines with faith and religion. There is also a deliberate focus on the idea that religion exerts a cultural influence that permeates society, even in the context of wedding singing. This is illustrated, for example, by the scene in which all employees stop work and leave to pray, by the scenes of women praying in a mosque, and by the repeated shots of mosques and the sound of the call to prayer echoing everywhere.
The film criticizes and praises in equal measure, welcoming developments while also critiquing the slow pace of reform. It points to the negative impact of the traditional male perspective on women, while simultaneously condemning the restrictive female perspective on the role of women. Maryam herself voices her disapproval, on several occasions in dialogue with her sisters and her father, of her late mother’s work as a wedding singer, repeatedly insisting that she “will not be like her.” One of the film’s most striking contradictions, then, is that Maryam- the most outwardly liberated of the sisters - is the one who insists on wearing the full veil (before eventually removing it). Another powerful contradiction occurs when she seizes the microphone and sings at a wedding, signaling that she has finally come to terms with what her late mother did- a realization prompted by listening to the tape her father gave her.
As might be expected, Maryam loses the municipal elections despite her extensive campaign, considerable effort, and effective use of social media, a dimension the film explores at length in examining the impact of media on Saudi youth. Yet the film makes clear, in its closing moments, that being the “perfect candidate” to run is only a correct first step on the road to change, and that the road ahead is still long.
Haifaa Al-Mansour shot her entire film in Saudi Arabia with a fully Saudi cast, guiding actors who were appearing in front of a camera for the first time with skill and assurance. Leading them all is Mila Al Zahrani in the role of Maryam- beautiful, possessed of a distinctive screen presence, and gifted with a lovely voice - who masters the character throughout, excelling particularly in the television interview scene and the confrontation with the men in the tent. Actresses Nora Al Awad (as Sara) and Dae (as Salma) also stand out, while Khaled Abdulraheem, in the role of Abdulaziz, brings a moving voice, natural ease, and quiet warmth to his performance. The film’s use of music, especially its foregrounding of the oud as the central instrument, adds a further layer of beauty.
It should be noted that the German co-production and its technical contributions ensured a high standard of image and sound throughout. Brad Niemann, a German screenwriter, collaborated with Al-Mansour on the screenplay. Patrick Orth served as cinematographer, Oliver Mundinger as production designer, Andreas Wodraschke as editor, Volker Bertelmann as composer, and Haeki Vadmirshcht as costume designer.