Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

Composer Kangding Ray’s sound design pulls you into this film with a deceptively lulling rhythmic bass while director Óliver Laxe sinks his teeth in. Sirāt takes audiences on a journey across a desolate Moroccan landscape in this heart-pounding emotional thriller.

The setup of Sirāt is simple. Luis, played by the instantly endearing Sergi López, with his son, Esteban, in tow, searches a rave for his missing daughter. When they learn of a subsequent rave in the middle of the desert, they travel with a group of dedicated party-hoppers, hoping she’ll turn up there.

The gaggle of relaxed off-roaders pair well with Luis, who is way out of his depth in his beat-up minivan. The movie does a good job of moving from distrust to building a sense of camaraderie between the two groups. There is a lovely comedic moment when a raver braids Esteban’s hair, and we see Esteban’s glee at hanging around these “cool” adults — alongside Luis’s dawning realisation that his son could end up becoming just like them.

Sirāt is slow and scarcely comforting, much like the landscape it inhabits. The bubbling tension arises from the silent war between humanity and nature — a battle the humans don’t even realise they’re engaged in until it’s too late. The molasses-like pace is part of the false sense of security the film lures you into, and it’s effective. It distracts you with car troubles, pet worries and the political turmoil unfolding on the fringes, so you don’t notice as the film very slowly starts to derail.

Underscoring this film is the simmering power of nature itself—seemingly sick and tired of being taken for granted and partied on. Laxe and Ray create a transportive environment, one that Sirāt succeeds in pulling the audience into completely. The conclusion won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but the film lands on something oddly simple: sometimes life offers no clear resolution. Sometimes things just happen — and all you can do is keep raving forward.

There are a number of takeaways from Sirāt, and that’s okay. This is very much a film about the journey, not the destination.

Have you experienced Sirāt?

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