Trekking into an unforgiving Moroccan desert in a desperate search for his missing daughter, Luis (Sergi López) gets caught up in an anarchic rave that resembles Bosch by way of Burning Man, backed by deafening EDM. Tagging along with a group of crusty outsiders as they head for their next hedonistic happening, Luis ventures offroad in a bid to evade the authorities. But as the convoy places itself at the mercy of an unimaginably perilous landscape, their ecstasy is quickly eclipsed by a feeling of damnation.
Opening his film with the assembly of a fortress-like wall of speakers — then unleashing its sonic payload — director Óliver Laxe is candid about his intention to assault the senses. And he upholds that dark covenant with a vengeance, orchestrating a film that casts the same fatalistic spell as William Friedkin’s Sorcerer while offering instances of deranged Looney-Tunes-through-the-looking-glass humour. Sîrat will have you riveted for every second of its runtime and rattled for hours after the end credits have rolled.
Jury Prize, Cannes 2025; Oscar Submission: Spain
Sergi López, Brúno Nuñez, Stefania Gadda, Joshua Liam Henderson, Tonin Janvier, Jade Oukid
Spain/France
2025
In Spanish and French with English subtitles
Graphic violence
At Vancouver Playhouse
At The Rio
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Esther García
Producer
Domingo Corral, Oliver Laxe, Xavi Font, Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar, Esther García, Oriol Maymó Ferrer, Mani Mortazavi, Andrea Queralt
Screenwriter
Santiago Fillol, Oliver Laxe
Cinematography
Mauro Herce
Editor
Cristóbal Fernández
Production Design
Laia Ateca
Original Music
Kangding Ray
Óliver Laxe
Filmography: You Are All Captains (2010); Mimosas (2016); Fire Will Welcome (2019)
Photo by Quim Vives
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