NOT that it would very much matter to her but I was rather disappointed by Haifaa al-Mansour’s English language debut - Mary Shelley - in 2017. Thankfully, The Perfect Candidate sees this Saudi force of nature return both to Arabic and fine form.

Mila Al Zahrani plays Maryam, an ambitious young doctor working in a small town clinic in Saudi Arabia. In spite of extensive qualifications, Maryam must face down patronising male colleagues on a daily basis, whilst battling too a dearth of respect from her parents. Feminism remains a recent concept in the oil dependent economy of Saudi Arabia and it very much shows.

When her relocation to Dubai, in search of better employment, it is blocked from reach, Maryam succumbs to a bureaucratic mix up of extraordinary proportions and accepts nomination for the upcoming local elections of her hometown.

Maryam is never named ‘the perfect candidate’ within the pages of Al-Mansour’s script but the inference is clear. Only, life is never so smooth. At every turn, Maryam must confront restrictions - not least those seeking to limit the function of a woman in her conservative Saudi community. Yet, she perseveres. Indeed, not only does her audacious candidacy find hitherto untapped momentum but Maryam even manages to develop a close contest. Maryam and her family must mobilise their determination and creativity to move their traditional society forward.

A competitor for last year’s prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, this is arresting viewing. Al-Mansour challenges with smart juxtapositions and a compelling trajectory. The Perfect Candidate is available on Curzon Home Cinema, the BFI Player and Modern Films now.

On free-to-air services over the next seven days, my TV movie of the week would be The Muppets - Disney’s 2011 return for the beloved Jim Henson characters.

With the old Muppet theatre threatened with demolition by a ruthless tycoon (Chris Cooper’s Tex Richman), Kermit the Frog must round up his old gang for a save the day fundraiser.

Aided by a couple of humans (co-writer Jason Segel and an adorable Amy Adams) and new Muppet Walter, Kermit, Fozzie, Miss Piggy and company must overcome the indifference of a modern day audience that has long since moved on from variety entertainment.

There are cameos aplenty, some lovely songs and big laughs at every turn. Catch it on BBC Two this Saturday at 4pm.