In Islamic scripture, the word “Sirāt” means a bridge or pathway that connects paradise and hell that only the righteous can cross. In the opening credits of director Oliver Laxe’s (Mimosas; Fire Will Come) film Sirāt, he tells us that the bridge is “narrower than a strand of hair and sharper than a sword.” Sirāt is an existential journey by a band of misfit nomads across the Moroccan desert as a metaphor for the Sirāt bridge that brilliantly combines grief, suppression, and desolation in a way that is shocking and brutal, yet beautiful. The film won the Jury Prize and Cannes Soundtrack Award at Cannes Film Festival in 2025 and was nominated for Best Sound and Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards in 2026. Despite the awards recognition the film had a frustratingly limited theatrical release in the U.S., but is now available to watch on Hulu, and will be available on Blu-ray from NEON, with some illuminating behind-the-scenes special features, including interviews with director Oliver Laxe and the cast on the making of the film.

Speakers set up in the desert in SIRĀT. Photo courtesy of NEON.

Sirāt follows Luis (Sergi López), his son, Esteban (Bruno Núñez Arjona), and their dog, Pipa, as they travel to a rave in the middle of the Moroccan desert in search of his daughter who has been missing for several months. After Luis shows his daughter’s picture to numerous people who don’t recognize her, he bonds with a group of ravers who plan to travel to another rave and ultimately decides to go with them. The group, made up of Jade (Jade Oukid), Tonin (Tonin Janvier), Bigui (Richard ‘Bigui’ Bellamy), Stefania (Stefania Gadda), and Josh (Joshua Liam Herderson), warn Luis that the journey to the next rave is through dangerous terrain and his small van might not make it as they are traveling in refurbished buses that are more accustomed to the landscape. Believing there is a chance he might find his daughter at the rave, Luis decides to accept the fate that lies ahead and goes with them anyway.

L-R: Bruno Núñez Arjona as Esteban and Sergi López as Luis in SIRĀT. Photo courtesy of NEON.

With a war going on around them, giving the film a nearly dystopian setting and the seemingly endless Moroccan desert, the newly bonded group of travelers turn to music and rave culture in their search for transcendence and escape. Jade, Tonin, Bigui, Stefania, and Josh set up massive speakers in the middle of the desert to blast music and convince Luis to join them in taking hallucinogens. Once the drugs kick in, there is a haunting scene of Luis vibing with the music while overcome with grief and hopelessness that is truly unforgettable.

Richard Bellamy as Bigui in SIRĀT. Photo courtesy of NEON.

Laxe’s decision to use non-professional actors for the roles of Jade, Tonin, Bigui, Stefania, and Josh, gives the welcoming tribal rave community gritty realism and accentuates the way ravers use music and dance as a way to fight tyranny. It’s hard to believe this group is not made up of professional actors because their performances are nuanced, outstanding, and believable. Sergi López (Pan’s Labyrinth) is phenomenal as Luis and flawlessly portrays a man who begins one journey only to start another as a grieving father who loses his ego and identity as he travels across the desert feeling lost and alone.

L-R: Stefania Gadda as Steff, Joshua Liam Herderson as Josh, Richard Bellamy as Bigui, and Sergi López as Luis in SIRĀT. Photo courtesy of NEON.

Mauro Herce’s (Dead Slow Ahead; Lonely Rivers) jaw-droppingly stunning desert cinematography shot in Spain and Morocco combined with Kangding Ray’s (Kiss My Wounds; Vacio Luminoso) pulsating electronic dance score beautifully enhances Sirāt’s ambience of a state of limbo as the characters deal with themes of trauma and oppression. Their metaphorical and literal crossing of the desert takes on a spiritual quality as the group shares unexpected sorrow and pain that gives them a more intimate connection as they cross to the other side.

Sirāt is a devastating, gorgeous, profoundly moving cinematic experience that is best enjoyed by going in blind and turning it up loud.

Sirāt Blu-ray Special Features:

• Sirāt and Oliver Laxe featurette
• Sergi López as Luis featurette
• Bruno Núñez Arjona as Esteban featurette
• The Actor’s Work featurette
• The Invisible Family featurette
• Electric Matter featurette
• Teaser
• Trailer

Available on digital March 24^th, 2026.
Available on Blu-ray May 19^th, 2026.

For more information, head to the official NEON Sirāt webpage.
To purchase, head to the official NEON Shop Sirāt webpage

Final Score: 5 out of 5.

Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews

Tags: 4 A 4 Productions, Allied Vaughn Entertainment, Arabic, Bruno Núñez Arjona, DECAL Releasing, drama, El Deseo, English, Filmes da Ermida, foreign film, France, French, home release, home video, Jade Oukid, Joshua Liam Henderson, Los Desertores Films, Movistar+, NEON, Oliver Laxe, Richard Bellamy, Santiago Fillol, Sergi López, Sirāt, Spain, Spanish, Stefania Gadda, thriller, Tonin Janvier, Uri Films