THE PERFECT CANDIDATE – In theaters May 14
Directed by Haifaa Al Mansour
Written by Haifaa Al Mansour and Brad Niemann
Starring Mila Alzahrani, Dhay, Khalid Abdulrhim, Shafi Al Harthy
When Maryam, a hardworking young doctor in a small-town clinic, is prevented from flying to Dubai for a conference without a male guardian’s approval, she seeks help from a politically connected cousin but inadvertently registers as a candidate for the municipal council. Maryam sees the election as a way to fix the muddy road in front of her clinic, but her campaign slowly garners broader appeal.
SUMMER OF 85 – In theaters June 18
Written and Directed by François Ozon
Based on the novel by Aiden Chambers
Starring Félix Lefebvre, Benjamin Voisin, Philippine Velge, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Melvil Poupaud
When Alexis (Félix Lefebvre) capsizes off the coast of Normandy, David (Benjamin Voisin) comes to the rescue and soon opens the younger boy’s eyes to a new horizon of friendship, art, and sexual bliss. Their seaside summer fling lasts just six weeks, but casts a shadow over a lifetime in François Ozon’s sexy, nostalgic reverie of first love and its consequences.
EMA – In theaters August 6
Directed by Pablo Larraín
Written by Guillermo Calderón, Pablo Larraín, Alejandro Moreno
Starring Mariana Di Girolamo, Gael García Bernal, Paola Giannini, Santiago Cabrera, Cristián Suárez
After a shocking incident upends her family life and marriage to a tempestuous choreographer, Ema, a reggaeton dancer, sets out on an odyssey of personal liberation, in this incendiary drama about art, desire, and the modern family from director Pablo Larraín.