I don’t have a whole lot in common with Dr. Maryam Alsafan (Mila Al Zahrani), the titular character in Haifaa Al Mansour’s “The Perfect Candidate.” She is a doctor, while I am a writer; she is assertive, and I’m fairly shy; she lives in Saudi Arabia, and I’m based in the U.S. Yet, despite the differences in our experiences — and the fact that she is a fictional character — I would support Maryam as a political candidate. As we see in the film, she gets into politics because she’s fed up with the system and figures if she wants things to change, she’ll have to change them herself. I’m sure most women can relate to that, to taking on important work because it has to be done and no one else is willing to do it.
A complicated series of events leads Maryam to her bureaucrat cousin, whom she needs to sign her travel permit so she can catch a flight to a medical conference. (Saudi Arabia still uses a guardian system which, until recently, required women to get permission from male family members or husbands to travel.) She signs up to run for municipal council on a whim, but winds up committing to her campaign due to her frustration with local infrastructure and the current councilman’s refusal to do anything about it. Maryam works at the only emergency room in town and the road leading to it is unpaved and muddy, making it difficult to bring in patients via gurneys or wheelchairs. One day, she realizes she’s had enough of it and decides to make the road her campaign platform.
Her sisters (Dhay and Nora Al Awad) and father (Khalid Abdulraheem) are not exactly thrilled when she announces the news. They’re afraid the family will be the subject of gossip, or even harassment, because Maryam is putting herself in the public eye, something that is still fairly taboo for Saudi women. At this point, I’ll mention that Al Mansour and “The Perfect Candidate” are honest about the cultural misogyny Maryam and other women encounter, but aren’t patronizing or polemic about it. There are more restrictive norms in Saudi Arabia and perhaps more blatant sexism than in Western countries — several men declare that women belong at home, and one male patient refuses to let Maryam treat him — yet there are plenty of people who support Maryam and her ambitions, regardless of her gender, or theirs. This film is interested in the gender dynamics in a specific Middle Eastern society, but thankfully explores them without a trace of Western superiority.
What’s more, the film is also quite funny. I went into “The Perfect Candidate” expecting a somber drama about the uphill battle women in politics face. But the script, by Al Mansour and Brad Niemann, treats the subject matter with a light touch. Maryam is new to politics, but is so self-assured you can almost forget how naive she is about it all. One of the best moments comes when Maryam and her sisters watch an American wingnut’s terrible campaign ad and use it as a template. They end up making a pretty great video, even if its inspiration came from a barely coherent gubernatorial candidate.
Most movies would have Maryam discover her voice via her political run, but the fact that Maryam is fully, confidently herself from the first scene to the last sets “The Perfect Candidate” apart. She has always had a voice; her campaign just allows her to amplify it for the first time. With such an awesome main character and feminist story, it’s impossible not to be energized by this film. I hope a bunch of real-life Maryams see it and launch their own bids for office.
“The Perfect Candidate” is now in theaters. Find screening info here.
