Posted by Alumni from The Atlantic
March 13, 2026
For months, I could not stop talking about the film Sirat'or rather, the experience of watching it. I peppered my praise with vague disclaimers, in an effort to avoid spoilers: 'You have to see it,' I told friends, 'but you'll probably find it upsetting.' I know I did: The thriller, about a man named Luis (played by Sergi Lopez) searching for his missing daughter among LSD-addled ravers in the southern Moroccan desert, is packed with transfixing but brutal moments. One scene midway through startled me so much that I yelped. Luis is helping other travelers move their vehicle while his son, Esteban (Bruno Nunez Arjona), plays with his dog, Pipa, by a cliff. Worried about Esteban's safety, Luis instructs the boy to go sit inside the family van, and he obeys. Then the van rolls backwards, Esteban screams for help, and both he and his beloved pet plummet to their deaths. A long list of children have perished on the big screen; blockbusters have been claiming kids' lives since poor little... learn more