you may remember a few years ago, i raved about wadjda, the ground—breaking film from al—mansour aboutsperate to buy a bike, a taboo—breaking symbol of freedom. she speaks arabic. the perfect candidate finds al—mansour returning to saudi for another tale of female empowerment, this time focusing on a doctor who winds up running for local election in an attempt to get the road in front of her hospital fixed. early on in the film, we see a male patient refusing to be treated by a female doctor, a hostility that's multiplied as maryam becomes a public figure. but despite the potentially tough subject matter, the perfect candidate is a joy to watch, not least because of the regular, vibrant bursts of live music which punctuate the drama, and because of the defiance of our central character, who definitely gets my vote. she speaks arabic. it's worth noting, too, that if you stream the perfect candidate through the modern films website, you can donate a percentage of the profits to your choice of one of several independent cinemas. but if streaming isn't your bag and you prefer good, old—fas