‘Sirat’ Review: Oliver Laxe’s Beguiling Film Is a Desert-Set, Techno-Infused Meditation on Death and Grief

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At one point in Oliver Laxe’s captivating movie titled “Sirat“, a character queries another traveler about their perception of what the end of the world might be like. The companion takes some time to ponder before replying, somewhat lackadaisically: “It seems as if the end of the world has been happening for quite some time now.

In this reimagined setting that eerily mirrors a post-apocalyptic future, the film “Sirat” unfolds, where a band of nomadic ravers traverse the barren Moroccan desert in pursuit of their final dance party. Their mobile home is a weathered caravan filled with essential supplies like food and water. Companionship extends to anyone they encounter at these gatherings or along their path. As they tune into the radio, they hear dire news of intensifying conflicts, dwindling resources, and deteriorating peace talks. The gritty reality portrayed by Laxe through his distinctive artistic lens resonates strongly with our current world.

Making its debut in competition at Cannes, the film “Sirat” marks the fourth time director Laxe has graced the Croisette. His initial work, “You Are All Captain“, garnered an award in Directors’ Fortnight back in 2010; he received recognition for his 2016 Critics’ Week film, “Mimosas” and another for the striking “Fire Will Come“, which premiered in 2019 within the Un Certain Regard sidebar. “Sirat” is Laxe’s first film in competition, offering a profound contemplation on grief and hope amidst a world teetering on the brink of collapse. This visually stunning film, produced by Pedro Almodóvar, features the tranquil landscape shots that the director appreciates so much. However, the movie’s message can sometimes be intense and somewhat confusing.

In collaboration with his frequent partner Santiago Fillol, Laxe pens a script that tells a tale of nomadic individuals grappling with diverse forms of loss – on various societal and personal scales. The barren desert serves as an ideal backdrop for this introspection, as it symbolizes both a storehouse for intense emotions and a constant reminder of our triviality in the larger universe’s context.

Over the past few years, the world has been shaped by two powerful forces: a viral pandemic and an intensifying climate crisis. These events have highlighted a widespread unease with mortality, particularly in the United States where collective grief is not customary, and death is often shied away from rather than embraced. However, French-born filmmaker Laxe, who has roots in Galicia, has been consistently tackling this issue through his work. His film Mimosa focused on transporting a deceased person to their ancestral burial site, while Fire Will Come, primarily about an arsonist fresh out of prison, also delved into the concept of cultural annihilation.

The movie, titled Sirat, starts and concludes with various forms of loss. It initiates by depicting Luis, skillfully portrayed by Sergi Lopez, and his son Esteban (Brúno Nuñez), scouring the terrain of a wild rave party in search of their missing daughter Mar. Director Laxe offers lingering shots of people, lost in the rhythm of techno music emanating from giant outdoor speakers, within a secluded part of the desert. The movements of these individuals mirror the pulsating beats of the hypnotic music, created by the French artist Kangding Ray. This captivating score is further enhanced by Laia Casanova’s remarkable sound design, which transforms the natural sounds of the desert into a fitting soundtrack. Laxe demonstrates an insightful grasp of the healing self-expression embedded in techno music and raves. The image of modern partygoers at Burning Man now takes on a more profound significance within this narrative.

Luis and Esteban weave their path through the crowd, distributing flyers for Mar, hoping someone has information about her. Eventually, they encounter a group who ponder if Mar could be attending the upcoming dance party. Spurred by urgency, Luis and Esteban trail the two vans transporting Stef (Stefania Gadda), Josh (Joshua Liam Henderson), Tonin (Tonin Janvier), Jade (Jade Oukid) and Bigui (Richard Bellamy), following them from one gathering to another.

Initially, the seasoned partygoers attempted to dismiss Luis and Esteban, but the pair proved tenacious. At certain moments, their formation of unwilling partnerships echoed a similar scenario in Octavia Butler’s novel Parable of the Sower, a story that also explores displacement resulting from the world coming to an end.

In its most recognized form, Sirat is known as a Laxe-ian production that takes place primarily in the middle, where the team navigates through a barren desert landscape. Laxe captures the stunning grandeur and awe-inspiring vastness of the Sahara desert (where Sirat was shot), featuring sequences of vehicles climbing steep hills or getting engulfed in sudden sand storms unexpectedly. The remote geographical location lends an eerie, almost alien ambiance to the film.

Surprisingly, as much as I admired the intricate symbolism and thought-provoking themes in Sirat, I found myself a bit puzzled during the final act. Despite it being packed with intense twists that kept me on the edge of my seat, it seemed like Director Laxe intentionally sacrificed narrative clarity to make his metaphors more tangible. He delved into a spectacle reminiscent of genre films to grapple with his ideas about death and to materialize the film’s title (which means ‘path’ in Arabic). However, these profound concepts, partly due to their abundance, felt less developed and more embryonic than in other parts. Additionally, there’s a questionable scene where characters of more noticeably racial origin were used, which felt aesthetically pleasing but lacked meaningful substance.

Despite these flaws, Sirat is an energizing film — a project determined to wake us up.

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2025-05-16 00:54