In Cannes-winning Spanish thriller Sirat, a dance party turns into a fight for survival

Sirat (NC16)

115 minutes, opens exclusively at Filmhouse on Feb 5
★★★★☆

Spain’s entry to the 2026 Academy Awards, which has been nominated in the Best International Feature Film category, defies description.

Part apocalyptic road movie in the style of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), part horror flick and part art-house thriller, Sirat sounds like a mess, but it is anything but. Franco-Spanish director and co-writer Oliver Laxe’s picture contains a brutally simple story told as much through action as dialogue.

The story opens in Morocco at a desert rave. Father Luis and son Esteban (Spanish actors Sergi Lopez and Bruno Nunez Arjona) are there to look for Mar, Esteban’s missing sister. But they and a few others from the rave find themselves in a nightmarish fight for survival.

From its opening scenes of ravers writhing to techno to the violence of its later segments, Laxe makes thrilling use of film as a sensorial tool that bypasses the higher faculties. The sense of being there with Luis, Esteban and the ravers is amplified by the authenticity of the performances delivered by an ensemble of non-actors, cast from the streets for having the right look.

Sirat won the Jury Prize at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and earned 11 nominations at the upcoming Goya Awards (Spain’s equivalent to the Oscars), including for Best Film and Best Director.

The Muppet Show (PG13)

Disney+
★★★★☆

Muppetphiles with a hankering for the variety show format should be elated by this shout-out to tradition, arriving 50 years after the launch of the original series of the same name in 1976.

This one-off 30-minute special is an infectiously joyful mix of music and wholesome comedy of the sort that Muppet creator Jim Henson and team used to make.

American puppeteer-actor Dave Goelz, who originated Gonzo and Dr Bunsen Honeydew on The Muppet Show (1976 to 1981), is back, as are several veterans from previous shows, including The Muppets Mayhem (2023) series and Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021).

This new production, however, reprises the variety show format and includes every character one can think of, including Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Scooter, Gonzo and the house band, Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.

With American pop star Sabrina Carpenter as the guest host, backed by appearances from Canadian actor-producer Seth Rogen and American comedienne Maya Rudolph, the show feels fresh even as it sticks closely to Muppet tradition.

Wonder Man (PG13)

Disney+
★★★★☆

This Marvel drama-comedy comes saddled with two off-putting descriptions. It is a superhero show for those who do not like superheroes, and a show about people in show business.

Anyone deterred by those tags will miss an eight-episode miniseries propelled by strong writing and evocative performances by its two leads, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley.

American actor Abdul-Mateen II plays Simon Williams, a veteran of many failed auditions despite a decade of Hollywood striving. British thespian Kingsley portrays his mentor Trevor Slattery, once imprisoned after impersonating the supervillain the Mandarin, a Marvel character first seen in Iron Man 3 (2013).

Williams’ powers, however, are anything but fake, a fact that terrifies him as studios have banned the hiring of superpowered actors.

This show, like the Emmy-winning Star Wars series Andor (2022 to 2025), is refreshingly self-contained and mostly unburdened by lore from its larger universe. Critics have praised the buddy comedy for its grounded, emotional story about two men struggling to be their authentic selves in a city that celebrates the unreal.