Sonne

• Kurdwin Ayub
• 87 min
• Austria
• 2022
• Fiction

Viral video where twerking to REM’s “Losing My Religion” while wearing a hijab causes trouble for three teen friends in Vienna, in this debut with a finger on the pulse of the times.

Yesmin’s family are Kurdish Muslims, and while her mother sticks to the rules, her father is liberal and open-minded. Together with her friends Bella and Nati (neither Kurds nor Muslims), she becomes famous overnight: a video they did singing “Losing My Religion” while wearing a hijab went viral. Instead of criticism, they get loads of likes, are interviewed on TV, and invited to perform at Kurdish parties. Yesmin begins to deeply question her way of life, while her friends mostly without second thought think it’s fun to “play” being rebellious idols. And when they let themselves be charmed by three Kurdish nationalists, the conflict within the trio becomes a fact. Kurdwin Ayub is highly impressive in this fine-tuned coming-of-age debut that succeeds at avoiding all clichés.

- Camilla Larsson

• Drama
• Religion
• Uppväxt
• Vänskap
• Debut