"There's a moment about midway through Sirāt, Oliver Laxe's searing desert rave thriller, that instantly sucks all the air out of the room. This is precisely what happened when I saw the Oscar-nominated Spanish film at the New York Film Festival in September: a pall settled over my audience as soon as it dawned on everyone what was about to happen."
"The film opens at a rave in the deserts of southern Morocco, the pulsating beats provided by electronic artist Kangding Ray immersing us completely in the sweaty catharsis of rave culture. The opening dance scene goes on for so long that it casts a hypnotic spell over the viewer, even when the bass-y vibrations fade as we cut to Luis (Sergi López) tentatively approaching ravers with a picture of his missing daughter, Mar."
"Luis had heard that Mar had run away to a rave in Morocco, and has rented a dingy van and brought his young son Esteban (Bruno Núñez Arjona) and their dog along with him on the search. The thrumming electronic music continues in the background as Luis and Esteban diligently ask as many people as they can about the whereabouts of Mar, the bright desert sun fading to dusk all the while."
Sirāt follows Luis, a father who travels to southern Morocco with his young son Esteban and their dog to search for his missing daughter Mar after hearing she ran away to a rave. The film opens with an extended, hypnotic rave sequence scored by electronic artist Kangding Ray, immersing viewers in sweaty catharsis before the father’s search interrupts the party. Luis approaches ravers with a photograph as the thrumming music and desert sun transition into dusk. Midway through, a sudden, airless moment signals a drastic tonal shift as the narrative erupts into a harrowing, violent descent. The film pairs grim, electric visuals with exploitation-thriller energy and received a Best International Feature nomination.
Read at Inverse
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