By George & Josh Bate
Walking around 2025’s Fantastic Fest, it was difficult to not overhear conversations about Sirāt. From our anecdotal, not empirically tested perspective, the Spanish film from Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize winner Óliver Laxe seemed to be one of, if not the, most talked about movies of the festival with words like “traumatic” and “life-changing” used to describe the drama. Although these descriptors are a tad hyperbolic, Sirāt nonetheless takes viewers on a grueling, grim journey that is difficult to shake off.
Sirāt follows a father named Luis (Sergi López) and his son Esteban (Bruno Núñez Arjona) as they try to find their missing daughter and sister Mar at a rave in the deserts of southern Morocco. When the initial investigation proves unfruitful, Luis and Esteban decide to journey with a subgroup of ravers on their way to another party that they hope to find Mar at.
The very first scene of Sirāt depicts a group of people assembling speakers together in a desert. What could have been a rather benign scene in other, less capable hands immediately clues audiences in that a filmmaker with a keen eye and real craft is at the wheel. Laxe, whose previous efforts include Fire Will Come and Mimosas, directs with assuredness, making each and every frame a story unto itself. The beginning of the film takes place at a rave in which multitudes of people dance to pumping electronic music. Without a moment to waste, Laxe imbues his film with a certain disconcerting feeling. Although the ravers are having the time of their lives, Luis and Esteban clearly are not and the music serves as an ominous, sonorous backdrop for the story to come, brought to life by Laia Casanova’s extraordinary sound design.
Sirāt is a journey movie, not unlike George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road. The characters spend the bulk of the trip in cars and trucks journeying across a barren desert while they face threats along the way. Unlike Immortan Joe and the War Boys of Fury Road though, the threats Luis, Esteban, and company face are more environmental in nature as they must save provisions, secure gasoline, and avoid treacherous roads along the way. Much like the actual journey for the characters, the journey for the audience is an arduous, slow endeavor that will test the patience of some audiences. For us though, nearly every moment of this journey captured our attention. Laxe ensures that, even when nothing of note is happening, a palpable dread runs strong.
Encompassing the journey are reports of a rapidly escalating global conflict, which the characters hear about on the radio. This sociopolitical backdrop feels underdeveloped and shoe-horned in with little, if anything, of substance added to the film as a result of its inclusion. There are certainly parallels between an impending apocalypse and the horror of the events that unfold for our characters, but, otherwise, any mention of the global conflict could easily be removed from the film without depriving it of any of its impact.
And, rest assured, that impact comes. Although the film lulls you in with it’s slower pacing, it startlingly comes alive with advances in its narrative. Disturbing in just how jarring these twists and turns are, it is difficult to come away from Sirāt unscathed. These twists and turns culminate in an intense climax that unfortunately leaves one of the film’s more intriguing elements behind and unresolved. And, while certainly radical and jolting, Sirāt isn’t quite the traumatic or life-changing viewing experience billed by some. Come the end, it is clear that the psychologically taxing journey is more affecting and unforgettable than the destination.
VERDICT: 7.5/10
Grueling and unforgettable, Sirāt will leave no viewers unscathed. The Spanish film from director/co-writer Óliver Laxe compels from the very beginning with assured direction, exquisite shot composition, and ominous sound design. Unfolding much like George Miller’s Mad Max Fury Road, Laxe’s film sees a group of characters journey in cars and trucks across a barren desert as they face a range of threats. However, unlike the War Boys of Fury Road, the threats here are more environmental and, eventually, psychological. Although attempts to add a sociopolitical backdrop to the film fall flat and despite its slow, deliberate pacing, Sirāt never ceases to engage the audience as an undercurrent of palpable dread runs strong throughout. The dread culminates in various narrative advancements that startle and disturb in equal measure, even if the ultimate destination of this journey feels a tad underwhelming. Sirāt is the feel bad movie of 2025, but, thanks to phenomenal filmmaking in all regards, is absolutely necessary viewing.