Films Calendar Specials Expat Information Venues
NL
EN
Bekijk de trailer

The Perfect Candidate

Maryam is a medical doctor in Saudi Arabia. However, neither colleagues nor patients respect her. She decides to run for a seat in the city council. A remarkable step.

Order tickets

Deze voorstelling maakt deel uit van Rialto Filmclub met als gastspreker deze maand Ernst-Jan Pfauth.

Due to the lockdown, Rialto will be closed until January 20th. This means that today there are no screenings.

The Perfect Candidate

On Mon December 14 with English subs at 6:10 pm

Maryam is an ambitious doctor working in a small-town clinic in Saudi Arabia. Despite her qualifications, she is not really accepted by her male colleagues or her patients. After being prevented from leaving the country, she decides to run for city council – a remarkable step in far from woman-friendly Saudi Arabia. Her main political goal is to fix the road leading to her clinic. With the help of her sisters, she launches her election campaign, though she is blocked at every turn. Maryam however turns out to be a strong, creative candidate.

When Haifaa Al-Mansour, the first female Saudi filmmaker, made her debut film Wadjda in 2012, she had to direct the film from the back of a blinded van, communicating via walkie-talkie. Meanwhile, the country has become slightly more tolerant, although women still have few rights, as she shows in this film told with mild humour.

de Volkskrant