The Perfect Candidate

Saudi filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour sheds light on types of challenges that face educated young Muslim women in Saudi Arabia. Sympathetic to their struggle, she still presents nuance through different female perspectives: e.g., Maryam's younger sister doesn't want her to run for municipal office, and women wear a range of hijab in public, from loose headscarves to more conservative niqab. Diversity can also be seen among Saudis, such as religious extremists (not depicted, but spoken of) who protest the concerts that Maryam's father plays. And an Afro-Saudi wedding singer appears in multiple scenes among a cast that's otherwise almost entirely light-skinned.

Omar's grandfather is upset that his doctor is a woman; he lashes out from his stretcher, nearly hitting her. Discussion of the sisters' father's depression since their mother's death. Maryam tells a hypothetical story of what would happen if an injured child couldn't get to the clinic because of the unpaved road. Musicians are advised to cancel a couple of their performances because of threats/safety concerns. Shouting, insults.

Subtle flirting between two adults. Married couples hold hands on their wedding day.

"Damn," "Keep her away from me," "Don't look me in the eyes," "country hick," "nuts," etc. Maryam's younger sister says people are calling Maryam "impudent," "shameless," "showing herself off to men," "humiliating," etc., on social media.

In one scene, Maryam's father smokes in the home around his three daughters.

Parents need to know that The Perfect Candidate is a contemporary drama from director Haifaa Al-Mansour about a determined young female Saudi doctor who ends up running for municipal council. Despite the improbability of a woman candidate winning in a country where traditional gender roles are the norm, Dr. Maryam Alsafan (Mila Al Zahrani) commits to her campaign, trying to convince not just women but men, too, that a vote for her is in everyone's best interest. The movie doesn't focus on the oppression of women's rights in Saudi Arabia but rather on how frustrating the slow acceptance of women in a formerly male-dominated space can be -- whether it's in the medical field or local politics. There isn't much iffy content, with the exception of the anti-feminist comments that local men make about women who work and "what kind of woman" would run for office. The same men make derogatory comments about Maryam's late mother, who was a singer, and her father, who's a musician. An injured grandfather at first refuses to be treated by a female doctor unless he's sedated/asleep. A group of men is scandalized when Maryam speaks directly to them. Families with older tweens and teens will have a lot to discuss after watching -- about women's rights, the role of music in society, the importance of breaking barriers, and negotiating cultural differences. The movie is in Arabic, with English subtitles for U.S. release.

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