May 18
International Film Forum: Sirāt
Sirāt (Óliver Laxe, 2025, Spain/France, 114 min.)
The Arabic word sirāt means "path" or "way"; in Islamic scripture, it refers to a narrow bridge that connects Paradise and Hell. That makes it a fitting title for the director Oliver Laxe's new movie, which is both exhilarating and devastating. Sirāt is a survival story about several unlikely traveling companions making their way through a godforsaken stretch of the Sahara Desert. It carries echoes of countless earlier films, from the arid landscapes of a John Ford Western to the post-apocalyptic setting of Mad Max. But nothing about Sirāt feels derivative or secondhand. It's an astonishing piece of cinema; I haven't had a more gripping experience in a movie theater all year. (Justin Chang, NPR)
