Chilling ‘Sirāt’ comes just short of going distance
It’s hard to resist the techno beats of “Sirāt,” Oliver Laxe’s Oscar-nominated hellscape in which a father and his young son become the unlikely companions of a doomed band of rave gypsies traversing the Moroccan desert.
There’s an infectious rhythm to it that is easy to dance to, but only if you have the patience to stick with it. If you do, what Laxe has in store will not only stir your emotions but also send a wake-up call to folks who refuse to believe we’re on the eve of destruction.
Before he’s finished, Laxe and his co-writer, Santiago Fillol will leave you bummed to the max, yet somehow uplifted by the knowledge that not everyone is closed off to peace, love and understanding. That’s most assuredly the case for Luis (Sergi López), a frazzled father on the hunt for his runaway daughter, Mar, who took off weeks ago to attend a rave from which she never returned.
His urge to get her back borders on obsession as he and his young son, Esteban (Bruno Núñez Arjona), set out from Spain for arid North Africa. There, they encounter hundreds of disaffected youths gathered in an expansive desert, seeking refuge from escalating political upheaval through pulsating yet soothing beats that approximate the sounds of their mothers’ hearts from when they were in the womb.
Luis doesn’t understand raves. If anything, he resents them for luring Mar away from him. It’s impressive how well López communicates these sentiments as his Luis weaves through the large clusters of dancers, asking anyone who will listen if they’ve seen Mar. So far, none have. Then, at Esteban’s suggestion, they approach a group of slightly older ravers sitting this tune out. He flashes Mar’s photo. Yes, they might have seen her, but they can’t be sure.
Not long after, a swarm of military forces surrounds the event, ordering everyone to leave just as Luis was finally getting somewhere. Feeling he has no other choice, Luis opts to invite himself to the next rave by tailing the five people – Steff (Stefania Gadda), Josh (Joshua Liam Herderson), Bigui (Richard Bellamy), Tonin (Tonin Havier) and Jade (Jade Oukid) – who might have seen Mar.
At first, the group of close pals has no use for Luis, but his persistence leads them to welcome him into their two-vehicle caravan. And with that, we’re off, driving deeper and deeper into a no-man’s land where the vastness of the desert sits in direct contrast to the seven minuscule humans and their two adorable mutts baking under its intense sun.
Gas, food, and water are scarce, but the circumstances force everyone into a burgeoning community in which trust and camaraderie blossom, particularly between the ravers and Esteban. But Kangding Ray’s somber electronic score subtly prepares you for the misfortune you know lies ahead, as the heat from the desert and the unexplained military operations present a series of deadly obstacles.
Then, about an hour in, just as you’re convinced “Sirāt” is driving toward a town called optimism, Laxe jolts the rug right out from under us with a twist that shakes you like no other. And it won’t be the last time Laxe tests the limits of our capacity to experience insurmountable grief. It’s so profound you never really recover from it, which has been the case for me, even months after the fact.
In the end, though, you’re left wondering what it and the succeeding tragedies were in service of. Cynics will say it’s manipulation, while the compassionate will suggest it’s symbolic of life’s fragility. I come down somewhere in the middle, mostly because Laxe is so cryptic in his messaging.
His movie is also slow, painfully so at times. But the majestic way Mauro Herce films it is breathtaking. Throw in López’s wrenching performance and you have yourself a mighty powerful treatise on the virtues of open-mindedness. But as much as I admire “Sirāt,” I’m a tad perplexed as to why the Academy nominated it for best foreign film over the vastly superior “No Other Choice.” Not only was Park Chan-wook’s work more of the moment, but it was also far more involving.
There are too many segments in “Sirāt” that lack urgency, not to mention a reason to care. Yes, the misfortunes we witness are shocking, but how they fit into the movie’s overall scheme is vague. Yet there’s something transfixing about how it evokes a strong sense of foreboding by holding up a mirror to a world that is rapidly tearing itself apart at the seams. It’s an observation “Sirāt” naively suggests can be alleviated simply by learning, listening and accepting people different from ourselves. Ah, if only that were true of where we exist now: frozen in the I.C.E. age.
Movie review
Sirāt
Rated: R for some violent content, language, drug use
Cast: Sergi López, Bruno Núñez Arjona, Stefania Gadda, Joshua Liam Herderson, Richard “Bigui” Bellamy, Tonin Havier and Jade Oukid
Director: Oliver Laxe
Writers: Oliver Laxe and Santiago Fillol
Runtime: 115 minutes
Where: Currently in theaters (limited)
Grade: B
