SIRÂT

If ‘audible gasp’ were a movie, it would be director Oliver Laxe’s Sirât. Laxe is known for his boundary-pushing cinema, and though I haven’t seen his previous films, I was struck by the director’s look–Wikipedia says he is a “French-born Spanish film director, screenwriter and actor of Galician ancestry.” He could be Jason Momoa’s cousin. In a brilliant feat of casting, Laxe enrolls Sergi Lopez (the bad guy from Pan’s Labyrinth) to play a desperate father lost in the desert rave scene, searching for his daughter with his young son and small dog in tow. The journey plays out across the unforgiving Moroccan desert, where relics of past wars come back to haunt the characters, and maybe even kill them. If the theme of Sirât is to dance now because we’re all going to die, then Laxe really delivers. Those hoping for a more formal screenplay structure may be disappointed, but any adventurous cinephiles will enjoy getting their heart pulsating in their seat.

The film announces itself on massive speakers with a techno track for crusty wooks to thrash around to. The soundtrack is incredible, and will surely test the capabilities of your local cinema’s sound system. The father and son join a ragtag group of ravers as they carry onward to the next ‘fiesta.’ The small wheels on the father’s mini-van are no match for the desert roads, although they do get successfully pulled through a raging river by the raver’s large bus. Their three-vehicle caravan is captured moving across the desert in beautiful drone shots, evoking something moodier than Mad Max–perhaps Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner would be a more apt touchstone. The hunt is on, but how will our protagonist find his daughter in the midst of blinding sandstorms and hazardous rocky ridges?

Cinematographer Mauro Herce is a particular standout, as is the music supervision by Xavi Font, and the riveting EDM music by Kangding Ray. Together with Laxe, they craft a dystopic vision where music is our only freedom from the oppressive government and the forces of mother nature. While the film is not explicitly political, and provides little context or exposition for the events, it nevertheless leaves the audience with a profound impact that our existence is futile. If that sounds too nihilistic for you, maybe sit this one out. But anyone who is excited by the notion that a filmmaker can take us to the end of the world, this film is for you.

Sirât was the top rated film of Cannes by the Ioncinema critics poll which is the most diverse in terms of geography of the critics. Music is one of the few things that has the power to bind us globally, and it’s interesting to see commenters exploring the universality of its themes even if set in a far-off land. Plus you can have your own personal rave in the cinema and nobody will complain. This one must be experienced on the big screen with a crowd, I know we say it all the time, but this time we really mean it. If you’ve gotten to the end of this review, you already know too much. Much like the sandstorms in the Moroccan deserts of Sirât, it’s best to go in blind.

– Matthew Delman (@ItsTheRealDel)

2025 NYFF; Oliver Laxe; Sirât. movie review