Sirât

The thundering bass of an illegal rave in the Moroccan desert. A father, with his son, searches among the gyrating dancers for his missing daughter. A group of seasoned ravers reveal to them that a final event will be taking place in another desert location, and they follow the revellers across the barren wastes towards this last party, only to be confronted by their own existential limits.

Despite bigger films playing at this years’ Cannes Film Festival, Oliver Laxe’s Sirât was the one which garnered the most discussion, with many cinema-goers leaving the screen shaken by what they had experienced. And what an experience it is! To say too much about the film itself would be sacrilege, but it is safe to say that Sirát pitches itself as an enthralling journey film, bringing to mind other masterpieces of the genre, such as William Friedkin’s Sorcerer, whilst remaining completely fresh and quite unlike anything you have seen before. A deserving winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, it demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible, with its thundering soundtrack by Berlin electronic producer Kangding Ray bringing you into the thick of the moment with every heavy, pulsing beat.

Introduced by Yal Sadat (Cahiers du Cinéma). This film will also screen at Cinemax Bantry on Tuesday 11 November.