Raves are gatherings that have played – and still do - a required taste in music, dipping its bare, ringed toes in the likes of techno and EDM (Electronic Music).

And they are still extremely popular, as those that recently attended the three day festival Electronic Daisy Carnival in Mexico can testify to.

This Oscar-nominated film does its best to recreate the audible essence of such an event, before taking it in a darker direction.

After travelling to the middle of the desert in southern Morocco, Luis (Sergi López), his son Esteban (Bruno Núñez Arjona), and dog Pipa, find themselves at their destination – a music festival.

They’re not there to bathe in the sonic tunes however, as Luis is looking for his missing daughter.

The festival gets disrupted when the army arrives, and are told to disperse with the country in a crisis of war.

Luis speaks to a small group who tell them there’s another festival not too far away, and he asks if he can join them in case his daughter is there, and they agree they can tag along.

So he follows behind the five-strong music-loving misfits, as they move deeper into the desert. But despite their chilled mood, none of them could predict the wrong turn that awaits them.

Oliver Laxe’s film is one of two halves: the first is a vibrant portrayal of such an event, and the type of curios who attend, and the sense of community that comes with it; and the second shifts a few gears at once with an unexpected journey, following Luis and the group drive into a danger.

It’s a peculiar mix, but does kind of work, after the first half sets up the relationships blossoming and the sense of camaraderie, audiences are invested in the motley crew and their outcome.

It’s no surprise that it’s been nominated for The Best International Film Oscar, and Best Sound, as it sees a pleasing union of earthy visuals with foot-thumping audio, with the result being an unexpected musical expedition that well and truly goes off road and deserves being raved about.