“ Films like this make an indelible impression and leave an impact beyond the credits. The challenge is stay in your seat until then.“
Con Nats
4.5 Stars or equivalent
Sirat apparently means ‘the bridge between Heaven and Hell, that is as thin as a strand of hair and as sharp as a sword.’ This film dances along this fine line and strings out the emotions before prodding you with that sword.
Luis (Sergi Lopez) and his son Esteban (Bruno Nunez) are looking for his lost daughter at a desert rave. They haven’t heard from her for five months. They meet a small group of ravers who tell them of another desert rave party just as the army comes in and shuts the party down. World War III is breaking out. They all make a break for the other party with Luis and Esteban following them.
The acting is very good and some of the ravers are first time actors. They’re not hard to pick; they are all likeable and real. Jade Oukid, Stefania Gadda, Tonin Janvier, Richard Bellamy and Joshua Liam Henderson play it real and at first this seems like a road movie, with unlikely compatriots gradually building friendship and trust as they go.
Director Oliver Laxe has drawn out great performances and the visuals are great. The opening scene setting up a wall of speakers contrasts nicely with a later scene and gives a sense of how these ravers see life – an escape from the horrors of the world, which are gradually closing in on them.
What starts as a trip through Morocco’s deserts with the usual problems of breakdowns, flooded roads and dodgy tracks becomes a journey through Hell. This is a brutal film which takes no prisoners.
This film needs a trauma warning. The Third Act is ruthless and harrowing. There have been reports of people leaving. No one left my Sydney Film Festival screening but I declined to see this a second time. I was surrounded by people watching through their hands or looking away – not because of anything graphic but the sheer tension the director is putting us through.
It is interesting to debate if films with such powerfully confronting scenes really do make their point, as many will avoid seeing them. I believe if any film can stay with you well after the credits roll, is a powerful film and one worth respecting. Maybe the message needs such cut through as we have become numb to the effects.
Its motivation is all tied up nicely in a sombre final scene which quietly explains why this story is told. Not a word is spoken; there is no need. The message is potent. (It seems many reviewers have missed the metaphor. Hint: Refugees.)
Sirat shared the Jury prize at Cannes and has been nominated for an Academy Award. It is well deserved. Films like this make an indelible impression and leave an impact beyond the credits. The challenge is stay in your seat until then.
4.5 Speakers
Con Nats, On The Screen
