The desert never stops hurting.
Cinema and music have always built routes to meet each other. This year, the raveelectronics, partying, the desert and desperation converge in a film that is not afraid to hurt susceptibilities. The synopsis seems simple: “A man and his son arrive at a rave in the middle of the mountains. They are looking for their daughter and sister, who disappeared months ago at one of those parties without dawn. With little hope, they follow a group of ravers who is heading to one last party in the desert. As they delve into nature, the journey forces them to confront their own limits.”
However, it is enough to advance a few minutes in the film to perceive that it is a story of deep pain and, simultaneously, of hope. Sirat: trance in the desertawarded with the Jury Prize of the Cannes Film Festival 2025will reach Mexican cinemas and, on its way to becoming one of the Spanish films most nominated for awards Oscarwe spoke with its director, Oliver Laxeabout the work.
Indie Rocks! Magazine: To begin, we would like to talk about the role of the family in the film. We notice that there are two obvious types of family: one of blood – father and son – and another that is the family of friends, the one that one chooses…
Oliver Laxe: Well, both families are important. I believe that you have to honor your ancestors; If you were born into a family it is for a reason, there is a reason, and you have things to learn and heal. Life is perfect. But I understand that sometimes it is hard and there are people who need to rely more on a chosen family. There is some escapism in it, but I'm no one to judge it. And well, both families live together many times. In the case of Siratbecause we see a humanity – and we see a lot in the final train -: a humanity made up of different families, different races, different countries, different genders and different social classes, but in the dimension of the wound they are all the same family. We are all broken and, when life humiliates us, when we realize that we are broken, that is when we hold each other's hands the tightest.
Indie Rocks! Magazine: The world is going through a time of constant war; There are many news of conflicts at the international level. So, with this also being a theme within the film, what would you say one can do with their own battles? If the world is at war, how can one be reconciled?
Oliver Laxe: Well, I believe that we are in a change of era, and therefore I trust the script, I trust that the world is well made. The thing is that there is a lot of fear today. People have no faith, they have fear, they have ego. But I think we are in a change of era: sometimes it seems that we are returning to the past, but no; It is normal that it seems that way. I believe that we continue to move forward, that we are growing in awareness. So, the best way to care and be in solidarity with the world is to be happy, simply by self-actualizing. Sometimes you have to go through the wound.
Indie Rocks! Magazine: The next question is about the scene chosen for the cover. It is one of the most powerful in the film, but, in your words, why choose precisely that scene to promote the work?
Oliver Laxe: It is a scene in which everyone is doing a ceremony, as if they were in a limbo, in a kind of abstract desert. That sequence is the one that interests me the most, because it has something very cathartic about it. When they are dancing, the actors connect with a very strong personal and transgenerational wound. I think there is a ritual, ceremonial and therapeutic aspect to that sequence. They are healing through the body and crying. Their bodies cry, and I think that's healthy.
Indie Rocks! Magazine: The character of Luis, played by Sergi López, is motivated by the search for his daughter, but: what are you looking for?
Oliver Laxe: Well, I'm looking for love, like him, the same thing. And not with much success; It happens to me a little like him. I think that nowadays it is difficult to find that love, to find family, right? Building a family is difficult.
Sirat will be released in theaters in Mexico on January 22 and is a must-see movie for anyone who loves movies. plot twist and unexpected endings. Dale play to the trailer Sirat here:
