The Cannes crowd went wild for "Sirāt," Oliver Laxe's latest opus that took home joint jury prize honors. For this reviewer, however, the film is an overhyped mess that wears out its welcome long before the credits roll.
Laxe's fascination with the Sahara desert landscape shines through in the film's visually stunning opening scenes, particularly during a rowdy rave that kicks off the story. The scene is undeniably captivating, capturing both the abandon and desperation of the crowd. However, it's hard to shake the feeling that this raw energy is also a precursor to something far more meandering and unfulfilling.
As two outsiders – Luis, a middle-aged man searching for his missing daughter, and his young son Esteban – arrive on the scene, things only get more convoluted. Their interactions with the partygoers are marked by a mix of desperation and hostility, leaving one wondering if they're truly looking for answers or just imposing their own emotional burden.
When the army arrives to shut down the rave, things take a turn into Pythonesque absurdity, with the protagonists rebelling against authority in a way that feels more like a parody than a genuine call to action. The film's narrative becomes increasingly opaque, making it difficult to discern what actually matters or whether Mar's disappearance is worth exploring.
The question of why Luis searches for his daughter at all remains unanswered as the story dissolves into a haze of psychedelic indulgence and electronic music. The film's inability to grasp its own themes – be they spiritual, emotional, or societal – results in a frustratingly opaque experience that fails to deliver on its initial promise.
Ultimately, "Sirāt" feels like an improvised spectacle without direction or purpose, masquerading as something profound while delivering nothing but valueless empty space. Its visual beauty is undeniable, but when it's stripped of narrative substance and emotional resonance, the film becomes little more than a shallow mirage.
Laxe's fascination with the Sahara desert landscape shines through in the film's visually stunning opening scenes, particularly during a rowdy rave that kicks off the story. The scene is undeniably captivating, capturing both the abandon and desperation of the crowd. However, it's hard to shake the feeling that this raw energy is also a precursor to something far more meandering and unfulfilling.
As two outsiders – Luis, a middle-aged man searching for his missing daughter, and his young son Esteban – arrive on the scene, things only get more convoluted. Their interactions with the partygoers are marked by a mix of desperation and hostility, leaving one wondering if they're truly looking for answers or just imposing their own emotional burden.
When the army arrives to shut down the rave, things take a turn into Pythonesque absurdity, with the protagonists rebelling against authority in a way that feels more like a parody than a genuine call to action. The film's narrative becomes increasingly opaque, making it difficult to discern what actually matters or whether Mar's disappearance is worth exploring.
The question of why Luis searches for his daughter at all remains unanswered as the story dissolves into a haze of psychedelic indulgence and electronic music. The film's inability to grasp its own themes – be they spiritual, emotional, or societal – results in a frustratingly opaque experience that fails to deliver on its initial promise.
Ultimately, "Sirāt" feels like an improvised spectacle without direction or purpose, masquerading as something profound while delivering nothing but valueless empty space. Its visual beauty is undeniable, but when it's stripped of narrative substance and emotional resonance, the film becomes little more than a shallow mirage.
. I mean, who doesn't love a visually stunning Sahara desert rave scene? But, honestly, the rest of the movie just felt like it went off on some wild tangent that didn't make sense to me 
. The whole thing with Luis and Esteban searching for Mar just kinda fizzled out, you know? And don't even get me started on the army part 
... I was expecting something deeper, but nope! Just a bunch of wacky stuff. I feel like I'm still trying to figure out what the point of it all was 
. Visually, though? Fire 
. But overall? Meh 
. What did you guys think of "Sirāt"?
this movie is like they took every leftover scene from some hippie's fever dream and mashed them all together w/ nothin in between lol 1 min into it i was already checkin out 
marrrr who 
the army show up outta nowhere just to make everything even more cringy 
. And don't even get me started on how confusing everything gets - I had no idea what was going on half the time! 
.
. I'm all for exploring themes of loss and identity, but "Sirāt" just ends up feeling like a meandering mess 
. The jury prize is kinda baffling if you ask me...
, but after that, it kinda loses its way. I feel like you're right about the story becoming all over the place 
. Don't get me wrong, visually stunning opening scenes are always a win 
, but when you take that away, what's left?
#NotImpressed #OverhypedMess The visuals are fire 
#TooMuchToHandle #NarrativeFail
#ConfusingCinema #MissedTheMark
, but when it takes over the entire movie... something's gotta give 
. I get what the director was going for with the themes and all, but it just didn't land for me. It's like he took some cool ideas and mashed them together without thinking it through first. 
Still, I do gotta give props to the visuals – that Sahara landscape is some next-level stuff 
. Maybe it's just not my cup of tea, but "Sirāt" feels like a movie that promised more than it delivered 
.
... but honestly, I think it's overhyped 
. The visuals are insane, no doubt about that - those opening scenes of the rave? Wow, what a wild ride! But once things get moving, it just feels like a mess 
. Like, I'm not buying into the whole vibe of the protagonists' search for their daughter; it's all so... meandering 
. Still, gotta give credit - those visuals are straight fire 
. like, luis's whole storyline felt like it was just an excuse for some trippy visuals and a beat that never stopped 
. don't even get me started on the army scene lololol what a weird twist 
and i'm still trying to figure out why they searched for their daughter at all 
.
. I get that sometimes you need to feel a sense of desperation and hopelessness, but this felt more like a bunch of people shouting at each other in the dark without saying anything meaningful 
.
. Like what was supposed to happen next? Why did Luis keep searching for his daughter? I needed some answers, man! The film just sorta... stopped being a story 
. "Sirāt" had some cool opening scenes, I'll give it that... those rave vibes were wild! 
[Meme of a psychedelic swirl with the words "Lost in Space"]
[GIF of a party with people dancing, but with a dark and ominous vibe]
i need answers and some actual substance to make this movie worth watching 
but then things just kinda... meander 
it feels like they're trying to say something deep but end up saying nothing 