Ayoub Elaid

Hounds (2023) is the kind of film that doesn’t tiptoe around the grit. You’re tossed right into the life of Ayoub Elaid’s character, who’s navigating the mess and madness of the Casablanca underworld. The city’s not painted as some dreamy postcard—nah, it’s all neon lights flickering over cracked pavement, people hustling for a quick buck, and that feeling like trouble’s always just around the corner. The story sort of latches onto this young guy, living with his dad, both of them stuck in a rut, scraping by on small-time jobs for a local gangster. There’s loyalty there, but also desperation, and, honestly, it gets messy. Things heat up when they’re tasked with a job that—well, let’s just say, it’s not your average nine-to-five. Suddenly, they’re tangled in something a lot bigger, with stakes that could swallow them whole. Ayoub’s character, he’s not some saint. He screws up, tries to fix things, and you can see the weight stacking up on his shoulders. The people around him? They’re all trying to claw their way out, too, but the street’s got its own rules. There’s betrayal, moments of wild hope, and sometimes it feels like nobody really wins. The film’s got this raw, tense energy. It’s not about big heroes or easy answers. Instead, you get a close-up look at survival—the choices you make, the ones you regret, and what it costs to just keep going. Real talk: it sticks with you.