Moon

Kurdwin Ayub's 2024 Austrian film follows a former martial arts fighter living in Vienna. Sarah's career is over and she has no money, so she accepts an offer to teach self-defence to the daughters of a wealthy family in the Middle East. Where she arrives is a walled house: the three sisters are under constant watch, their internet is restricted and leaving depends on the permission of men. The more Sarah understands, the more she wants to intervene, but she knows neither the language nor who answers to whom, and her attempt at rescue turns into her own arrogance. The film criticises the idea of Western heroism directly and does not present the sisters as passive victims either. The tension comes from uncertainty rather than threat. It won the special jury prize at Locarno. Who it's for: viewers who like cold thrillers and European independent cinema. Who it's not for: anyone expecting explanation and resolution; the film gives neither.