Mond

A financially-struggling retired MMA fighter takes a (temp) job from a wealthy Jordanian as in-house "personal trainer" for his sisters. What she encounters there is troubling.

I thought the lead actress gave a decent performance, and overall the acting is fine. The production and cinematography is solid if unspectacular.

Unfortunately there is very little depth to the story or plot for anyone even remotely acquainted with how many women are treated in parts of the Muslim world. The main character also comes across as naive and clueless. I'm not sure the character makes for a very strong protagonist. Overall, the scope of the film is quite small - we don't get to explore much in terms of locations, or even supporting characters.

I'm not sure what our reward is for watching this, what is the takeaway? On an emotional-level, or as a character study, it is a bit unsatisfying. An okay way to spend 90 minutes but not essential viewing.

3/5 stars.

In my many reviews here I have made the same points over and over. First, the key to a good movie is connection. If you connect with the characters, you are halfway there. Second, low budget does not have to mean low quality. Done right, it works. This is an incredibly simple film, from a technical POV, yet it works well. There is connection. You feel comfortable with the characters, you are curious about what happens next. And the creator (writer director Kurdwin Ayub) allows the simplicity to work for him, to leverage off it. Impressed. Recommended. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

This question from Mond's IMDB description is a very good one - but is never answered. Why would a rich family with mafioso connections want women being held against their will to learn self-defence? It doesn't make a lot of sense and this is disappointing because otherwise Mond is a pretty good film. The direction is atmospheric and intriguing and the pace of editing keeps your attention throughout - up until the slightly flat ending at least - whilst the heat, grime and danger of the middle-east are convincingly portrayed (as is the loneliness of being in a new country by yourself). Whilst many of the cast give performances so convincing it actually feels more like you're watching a documentary in places, the star of the show is Florentina Holzinger who, without saying a word, communicates the demeanour of a battered and bruised ex-cage fighter concealing an intense personal vulnerability despite her fighting abilities. Looking forward to seeing more from writer and director Kurdwin Ayub - but with a script that makes more sense next time.

Her first feature film is called SUN, the current one is MOON, so it will be interesting to see what Austrian director Kurdwin AYUB will call her third film.

Sarah (Florentina HOLZINGER) from Vienna has to give up her MMA career after losing a fight and becomes self-employed as a personal trainer. Things aren't going so well when she receives an interesting offer from Amman, Jordan. According to her charming Arab interlocutor, she is to work as a personal trainer for his three sisters so that the young ladies don't get too bored. At first everything goes well. Sarah is put in a luxury hotel in Amman with almost no guests and then gradually gets to know her three charges. But gradually it becomes clear that something can't be right in this family. A shocking situation arises in the siblings' luxury residence. Sarah is put to a tough test that challenges her fighting spirit.

As with the first film, director AYUB has once again worked with Ulrich SEIDL's film production company. It certainly has its own theme and style, but shares SEIDL's mercilessly dissecting view of social conditions. Its leading actress, Florentina HOLZINGER, is a real discovery. With her performance SANCTA based on the opera SANCTA SUSANNA by Paul HINDEMITH in 2024, the choreographer has really shaken up several opera houses and caused a stir in the German-language feature pages. The images (camera: Klemens HUFNAGL) from Jordan are also illuminating and magnificent. You have certainly never seen a major city in the Arab world like this on the big screen. The film itself is structured like a classic thriller in places, but cleverly subverts the audience's expectations of such films.

You can already look forward to Kurdwin AYUB's next film, which will definitely be called STERNE.

The story starts in Vienna but soon shifts to Jordania. An Austrian martial arts fighter who had ended her active career and started working as a trainer is in dire straits and welcomes an offer to train three sisters in Jordania. She is hired by the obviously wealthy brother of the girls and Sarah does not much question the motives for this generous offer.

Though this film is an Austrian production we hear far more English and Arabic than German. It is a clever look at what we expect of an Arab country and the film plays with our expectations and fears, he gives us some but not all.

Sarah is booked into a lavish hotel and we already understand that whoever pays for it must be an important man. When she meets the girls in a villa far from the city it is not clear if the girls really wnat to be trained or not. They obviously lived in a golden cage, with bodyguards watching over them and apparently also piunish them if they don't stick to the many rules. Soon Sarah will be drawn into a sectret that brings her in trouble.

The film does not play out as we expect but rather asks us what would we do in Sarahs situation? In Vienna, we saw Sarah training young girls to fight in a ring just for kicks, here she trains three girls who definitely need help. How will she react?