In the eschatology of Islam, the Sirāt is the bridge that every human must cross on the Day of Judgement to reach Paradise. According to tradition, it is narrower than a human hair and sharper than a sword, and it is a wholly fitting title for this hypnotic, fatalistic adventure from the French-Spanish director Óliver Laxe.

A still from the film Sirāt

The film opens with images of a crew of technicians building a PA system. On completion, Laxe pulls away to admire what they have made: a huge altar to music and hedonism erected in the middle of a desert.

A raw, hard beat kicks in and we are immersed in a Burning Man-style techno rave. From among the crowd of mostly European ravers kicking up the desert dust, Laxe picks out people who will be key players in the film as it unfolds – Steff (Stefania Gadda), Josh (Joshua Liam Henderson), Jade (Jade Oukid), Tonin (Tonin Janvier) and Bigui (Richard ‘Bigui’ Bellamy).

Moving through the dancers are two fish-out-of-water figures: a portly, middle-aged Spaniard, Luis (Sergi López) and his teenaged son Esteban (Bruno Núñez Arjona). Handing out...