Sirāt
A visceral, unrewarding trip through the Moroccan desert, Óliver Laxe’s Oscar-nominated drama traces a father’s desperate search for his daughter.
Image courtesy of Altitude Film Distribution.
by ESMÉ FENICK
When Óliver Laxe’s Sirāt ended, a heavy silence permeated the cinema. Surrounded by a crowd of journalists, I expected a wave of chatter or even outrage. Instead, after minutes of suffocating silence, I heard someone seated behind me timidly whisper, “I think I hated that.” I agreed. The oppressive experience was so unrewarding that I hated watching it. That is precisely what makes it so poignant and why I think you need to see it. It was the standout film of the London Film Festival for me, lingering in my mind for months afterwards. Receiving Oscar nominations for best sound and best international feature, it is one to experience before the awards season. While I went into it prepared for the shock I was about to endure, I don’t think I will ever be fully braced for the raw, sustained discomfort it leaves behind.
Set in the liminal vastness of the Moroccan desert, Sirāt opens at a techno rave, where dancers move freely beneath the blinding sun and grainy dust. The initial story follows a Spanish father, Luis (Sergi López), and his young son, Esteban (Bruno Núñez), who are immediately established as outsiders. Disoriented, Luis wanders among drugged ravers in a desperate search for his missing daughter, whom he believes has joined the scene. The pair eventually encounter a group of ravers who, with sympathy, claim to have potentially seen her. Their journey begins there, as they join their subsequent rave. Despite repeated warnings about the dangers of the journey ahead, Luis persists – an emblem of paternal courage that ultimately blinds him to the risks he is willing to take. About halfway into Sirāt, the plot undergoes a shocking rupture. A traumatising event of visceral and emotional intensity is met with collective gasps that filled the cinema. My hand flew to my mouth in shock. From this point on, Sirāt abandons coherent narrative in favour of raw survival and sensorial immediacy. The search for the missing daughter fades; only the present, the body, and endurance remain.
With its well-deserved Academy Award nomination for best sound, Sirāt’s soundscape is as vital as its stark imagery. Techno beats merge with desert winds to form a pulsing, uneasy rhythm, alluding to a constant heartbeat of anxiety. Sirāt unfolds not through plot but through sensation. Laxe embraces a nihilistic instability, privileging emotion over entertainment. Do not expect traditional storytelling. One raver, played by Jade Oukid, vividly explains that techno music is meant to be danced to, not just heard. Sirāt follows the same logic – it is meant to be experienced, not simply watched. It is not “enjoyable” in any conventional sense; it is however unforgettable. A powerful sensorial immersion that fuses sound, image and raw emotion, Sirāt pushes contemporary cinema towards the visceral.
Cast: Sergi López, Bruno Núñez Arjona, Richard Bellamy, Stefania Gadda, Joshua Liam Henderson, Tonin Janvier, Jade Oukid.
Dir Óliver Laxe, Pro Domingo Corral, Óliver Laxe, Xavi Font, Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar, Esther García, Oriol Maymó, Mani Mortazavi and Andrea Queralt, Screenplay Santiago Fillol and Óliver Laxe, Ph Mauro Herce, Pro Des Laia Ateca, Ed Cristóbal Fernández, Music Kangding Ray, Costumes Nadia Acimi, Sound Laia Casanovas.
Los Desertores Films AIE/Telefónica Audiovisual Digital/Filmes Da Ermida/El Deseo/Uri Films/4A4 Productions-Altitude Film Distribution.
114 mins. Spain/France. 2026. US Rel: 14 November 2025. UK Rel: 27 February 2026. Cert. 15.