Film guide 2019
The Perfect Candidate
A doctor’s campaign to repair the road to her clinic grows into an unexpected political challenge.
- Original title
- المرشحة المثالية — Al Murashaha Al Muthaliya
- Director
- Haifaa Al Mansour
- Year
- 2019
Editorial profile. Availability on LAREINE TV has not been confirmed.
Story, without spoilers
Maryam is frustrated by the muddy road that obstructs access to her clinic and by resistance to her authority as a doctor. An unexpected opportunity leads her to stand for the municipal council. Her campaign draws her sisters and the surrounding community into unfamiliar territory.
Context & recognition
Haifaa Al Mansour’s film competed at Venice in 2019. Its political story runs alongside a musical family portrait, connecting professional ambition with the effort needed to turn social change into daily experience.
Main characters & cast
Maryam
Mila Alzahrani
A doctor who becomes a municipal election candidate.
Selma
Dhay
Maryam’s sister, involved in her campaign.
Abdulaziz
Khalid Abdulrhim
Maryam’s father, a musician pursuing his own artistic path.