Sarah, a retired mixed martial arts fighter leaves her home country Austria, hired by a wealthy family in Jordan to train three teenage sisters. What initially appears like a dream job quickly turns troubling. The young women are shut off from the outside world, controlled by bodyguards, and they show little interest in the sport. So why was Sarah engaged in the first place?

Upending narratives of the white saviour and avoiding the pitfalls of the soap opera genre, Kurdwin Ayub (SONNE) orchestrates a smart and thrilling story full of suspense, thus living up to her reputation as one of the most exciting new voices in the German-speaking cinema landscape.

Ayub herself says: “It’s a film about sisters, no matter where they live or come from, and a film about cages, no matter where they are found. Cages you want to flee, and cages you wish to return to.”

With: Florentina Holzinger, Andria Tayeh, Celina Antwan, Nagham Abu Baker, and others.
Book & Direction: Kurdwin Ayub
Cinematography: Klemens Hufnagl
Editing: Roland Stöttinger
Production Design: Julia Libiseller
Casting: Ulrike Putzer
Costume Design: Carola Pizzini
Sound: David Almeida-Ribeiro
Creative Producer: Susanne Marian
Associate Producer: Veronika Franz
Producer: Ulrich Seidl

Austria / 2024 / 93 min