Sirât is Spain’s official pick for the Oscars and it begins with a father and his young son crossing the desert in search of a missing daughter. From the first moments, the film pulled me in with its rhythm, its music and its powerful images.
It is an energizing film, one that feels determined to wake you up, using sound and image to create something deeply physical and emotional.
I loved how it looked and sounded. The cinematography makes the desert feel alive and emotional, turning the vast emptiness into something spiritual. The soundtrack gives the story a strong pulse, and the way the director uses real people and real places adds honesty to every frame.
The film feels raw, harsh and meditative at the same time. The visuals and sound work together beautifully, creating moments that feel both grounded and otherworldly.
The film was also a big winner at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. It won the Jury Prize, the Cannes Soundtrack Award for Best Composer, and even the Palm Dog Jury Prize for its scene-stealing dogs, Pipa and Lupita. It also received a Special Mention from the AFCAE and was a nominee for the Palme d’Or. These awards say a lot about how strongly the film connects through its artistry, sound, and atmosphere, even if it divides audiences emotionally.
Still, I felt it didn’t have to be this long. Some parts linger too much and start to lose focus, and by the end, the journey feels heavier than it should. The film sometimes gets lost in its own rhythm, circling around the same feelings without adding much. The ending was also disappointing to me. It doesn’t deliver the emotional closure the story builds toward. It simply fades, leaving you more numb than moved.
Even with that, Sirat is a bold and unforgettable experience. It demands patience and sometimes too much of it, but it rewards you with its atmosphere and ambition. It is a film that dares to experiment with form and feeling, even when it stumbles.