The Reel Review
A middle-aged father consumed with worry about his missing daughter travels with his young son to a rave in the Moroccan desert in the hopes of finding her. Sergi Lopez and Bruno Nunez Arjona star in this deeply-symbolic, Oscar-nominated psychological thriller.
To call Sirat a twist-filled, unconventional film is quite the understatement. Co-writer/director Oliver Laxe’s intentionally ambiguous story is more about creating a vibe of constant dread, underscored by speakers thumping trance-like techno music in the open desert. There is almost no dialogue in the film’s first few minutes. At first, the ravers appear to be irresponsible, drug-addled freaks, but gradually they are revealed to be compassionate, accepting individuals cast off by a society that, with the sudden appearance of the military, appears to be teetering towards total annihilation.
Sirat is filled with shocking moments that deftly illustrate both the random cruelty and fragility of life. Close-ups of the black speakers in the third act, intentionally resembling Mecca’s holy Kabaa shown on TV earlier in the film, illustrate that techno music is their religion to cope with a deteriorating world. This is a thought-provoking film that will continue to haunt you long after the credits roll.
REEL FACTS
• Sirat was Spain’s 2026 Oscar nominee for Best International Feature at the 2026 Oscars and won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
• Apart from the film’s star, Sergi Lopez, most of the cast are non-professionals selected during a street casting process, many living off the grid or working as performers in street festivals.
• Sirat is the Arabic word for path, specifically the narrow bridge that spans Hell which believers must cross to enter Paradise.
Video & Photo
