Haifaa al-Mansour, the first Saudi woman to direct a feature, goes back to basics with an effective story of a doctor trying to enter politics
Haifaa al-Mansour was the first Saudi woman to direct a feature film, landing out of the blue at the 2012 Venice film festival with her coming-of-age drama Wadjda. Mansour’s achievement was noteworthy in itself, but Wadjda turned out to be more than some dry historical milestone. It was rousing, galvanic, a big-hearted rebel yell about an 11-year-old girl who defies the elders in her efforts to buy a bicycle so she can race against boys. Just recalling that film is enough to make me well up.
Now, after a brace of English-language misadventures, Mansour is back on home soil, and decidedly back to core principles in that her new film delivers another salute to the indomitable female spirit, to the point where it might just as easily have been called Wadjda 2: This Time She’s a Doctor. The Perfect Candidate is fiery and headstrong, and instantly gets you on its side. The formula works wonders on the second time of asking.