The Wasteland Reviewer

Sirat (2025) Written Review

What do you want out of a cinematic experience? People watch films for a variety of reasons and that motivation can affect your connection with different pieces of art for sure. There are those out there who are all about the story. They need a satisfying and compelling story that will pull you in. Others can appreciate a group of characters that they can hang out with for the length of the film. Then you have film as an art form. There are so many interesting and compelling things you can do from an artistic perspective. Vibes and atmosphere can go a long way in engaging some members of the audience. Expectations will certainly rule when you go watch Spain’s entry for Best International Feature this year. One of the most polarizing films of the year without a doubt will be Oliver Laxe’s Sirat. 

What does Laxe bring to the table while crafting such vibes and atmosphere for Sirat? If you have seen the Gaspar Noe film Climax, you might get a sense of just what type of film Sirat is. From the start of this film, music is the oppressive and most powerful force in this film. For a film that starts at a desert rave, the music is key to setting the tone. Laxe gives so much control and power to composer Kangding Ray. The music is key to building the tension and emotion of this film. The cinematography is so powerful as well in bringing this desert setting to life so vividly. Mauro Herce controls the camera and engrosses the audience with enveloping camerawork that puts the audience in an uncomfortable place and feeling all the bombastic impact of where this dangerous story goes. Sharp editing propels the story forward (even if the script lacks a true structure to anchor the audience). No one can argue that Sirat is not a visually and auditorily arresting cinematic experience…and that is the first step for Laxe’s film. 

But is the story of Laxe and Santiago Fillol’s script just as intense and compelling? This is where audiences will certainly be divided. You have a simple premise. A father and son search for their daughter/sister who is out at one of these desert raves. They trek across the desert with a band of interesting folks from this rave to find her. Over the course of two hours, the audience is put through a loose yet horrific journey. There are intriguing overarching ideas like an incoming third world war conflict that you can feel ripples off in this vast desert. You have an interesting band of characters who connect on a human level through this harrowing journey. But what will really challenge the audience is what happens to these people along the way and where Sirat will leave them at the end. If you can accept a nihilistic examination of the world and humanity’s dangerous behavior, then this will hit you like a ton of bricks. If you are not satisfied by such a horrific result, you might just rage against Laxe and company for giving you quite an unsatisfying experience at the cinema. 

Does the film offer up enough to connect with before Laxe devastates you so deeply? To have such an impact, you need to have empathy for those affected. There is a strong authentic ensemble in Sirat that brings this intriguing crew of characters to life. There is a grounded feeling to the natural worry coming from this father and son who desperately seek their loved one out in this wasteland. Sergio Lopez does a lot of the heavy lifting emotionally for this film as we feel his worry and pain as he seeks his daughter. There are other narrative beats that put Lopez’s Luis through so much that it will shake you as Lopez brings this grief to life. The ravers that Luis and his son Esteban join along the way are brought to life so authentically by this talented cast. This turns out to be quite a dangerous and deadly journey, and we feel every moment of terror and devastation thanks to the combination of Laxe’s intense direction and the powerful performances of this cast.

Does Sirat offer up a cinematic experience worth taking? That is quite the challenging question because of just how challenging this film truly is. The vibes and atmosphere that Laxe crafts are impressive and intense. There are few films that will completely envelop you like this one. But it is a fair argument to wonder…what was the point? This is not the most traditionally satisfying narrative experience even with how rich its thematic work might be. Many will hate and shun this work of art. Others will tune in and find that right frequency to connect deeply with what Laxe is going for. Then there is the middle where great conflict arises whether this is good or bad. Polarizing indeed.