User reviews

I saw hit the road at Cannes Film Festival and with no prior expectations, was rewarded with a wonderful film, complete with memorable performances from an extremely talented cast. Beautiful and varied landscape shots intersperse the interior of the car where much of the film takes place. Humour (namely from the captivating young actor Rayan Sarlak), well chosen music and great writing, help to balance out the darker undertone of the movie. Mature, bold and most definitely worth watching. Bravo!

Quite a strange road trip adventure that walks the lines of dark comedy as much as those of the unexplained, seemingly unhappy circumstances that keep this family's bizarre dramatics moving along.

As much as you really want to know what exactly is going on, the film still succeeds in serving genuine entertainment with an overall experience of humor and culture through moments of classic songs, references to Western cinema, and the most picturesque Persian landscapes that rival other films where anyone has described the scenery as resembling a painting.

Apart from the general impression left on me from the Farhadi films I discovered earlier this year, this was an even more satisfying, yet completely unexpected selection that now holds a place for me as one of the most scenic, comical, and cosmic Iranian films I've ever seen so far.

The war doesnt end when the last bullet is fired. The aftermaths of the war are so deep it takes a lot to get out of that, even after the war is over. The numbness it creates into our heart to the things which otherwise would have split our soul into pieces. We have to act hard on the things which are tearing us apart. The story is good, you can feel the tension in the car. The extreme steps and the heart they have to bear for this. Things dont always pan out the way we think. Almost all 10-12 year kids are annoying. He played his part best. He is like the audience, not knowing what is happening around them. Visuals were great. Also, the persian music hits too close to home. Start is a bit wobbly but it catches on later, some parts seems stretched but overall nice experience.

"Warn the people, he's an idiot!" Dad (Hasan Majuni)

So it goes for six-year-old Little Brother (Rayan Sarlak, watch for him in the future) as dad prepares anyone outside the family that they have a dynamo for a child, whose older brother is quite the opposite in his quietude. The family is on a secret journey in Panah Panahi's debut Hit the Road, set in the bleak plains of Iran but full of family shenanigans, not quite as light as in Little Miss Sunshine, but having the same surprises of joy and sorrow plaguing any road journey in film, and sometimes in life itself not on the screen but in our own vans.

Reflecting the Iranian New Wave with cinematography and background worthy of Waiting for Godot (even one shot with a single tree against a barren landscape), Hit the Road is about an uncertain destination to the northern border with an uncertain fate awaiting travelers, especially in a world as chaotic as Iran. It would seem the family is not only delivering but also escaping a fate they only partially control.

The shifting tones from comedy to drama--the boy without his cell and the older brother without a future-- show a young director already in charge of his craft.

Emblematic of the riotous life of a very bright but eccentric family is the contradictory relationship between dad and Little Brother, who banter in a beautiful fantasy scene about Batman while Little can equally be chastised for being loud and provocative (he's precocious, if you couldn't tell). Also telling is the long wide shot by cinematographer Amin Jafari where something quietly tragic is happening, set on a riverbank evocative of Ingmar Bergman's iconic Seventh Seal long shots.

Oddly-placed musical numbers are a welcome respite from the growing sense of doom, and another clue to the happiness that may bless the family, if not on this journey.

As lovely Mom (Pantea Panahiha) provides the moderating influence among the warring factions of the family, she also carries the melancholy of one who knows the separation and tragedy that fate will eventually deliver along life's journey.

Hit the Road is a family-trip masterpiece from a 37-year-old director whose legendary director dad would be proud. Among the laughter and tears is a common thread for humanity: Just keep going.

"Long takes statically home in on the characters, who are often inside the vehicle in close vicinity to the camera, whose unspoken emotion and poignant expression is what audience dwells on. As an impending departure is on the horizon, feigned playfulness flakes off a mother's face and bares irrepressible sorrow; a father's habitual sulkiness morphs into resigned tenderness and advice-dispensing, yet his prolong incapacitation (with one injured leg in plaster cast) might take on a more figurative signification here. The only constant is the younger son, whose bratty, sassy cuteness inclines to get under one's skin in no time.

However, when the chips are down, a fixed wide shot keeps the emotional leave-taking in the yonder, a scenic composition with people reduced to ciphers, but its effect is no less impactful, the mother's scurrying desperation is all the more visceral in one's imagination. After a botched last goodbye, HIT THE ROAD finishes with a threnody for the moribund pet dog, vicariously it is also for the departed, but the lip-syncing gimmick seems to push the film towards mawkishness."

-

(I believe that this movie is very Iranian and may confuse or tire foreign viewers, for example, why is the cheating of that cyclist interesting? Or what is the story of Lake Urmia, which has become a barren desert, etc.) But for me, as an Iranian, that is exactly the reason I watch movies.

The challenge of "laughing to hide the sadness" does not leave not only the characters of the movie, but also the audience for a moment.

This movie is far away from Iranian cliché and every moment of it is surprising while is simple as well. The acting is brilliant, even the young actor.

The depth of the story is felt by those who have been involved in the migration phenomenon. Those who once only saw the beauty of their homeland and kissed its soil with love.

However, I think the movie should have ended in the night sky scene; Or at least in the foggy morning scene.

Today's movie industry is completely spoiled by heavy background scores, CGI, VFX & other non-sensical unrealistic mystery thriller stories.

In olden days, there used to be theatres where audience watch stage drama as movies, where the actors were actually acting for literally 3 hours straight. Those days were gone by & we were left with these digitally edited cutshot movies.

The movie itself is so calm, realistic & had amazing cinematography.

The only things I disliked were unusual unexplained plot & lengthy screenplay.

Excellent humor.

A film full of emotions, without demureness, alternating moods -like those of children-, enchanting landscape and directorial perfection.

Panah Panahi, seems to follow in the footsteps of his father, and his predecessors (e.g. Kiarostami), adding his own modern view.

No, I've never heard of this but not only is it our second Iranian film on the list, it's the second film made by a member of the Panahi family - the last one was very peculiar indeed, so I'm hoping for something a little more straightforward this time (it would struggle to be less straightforward!).

On the face of it, we've got something pretty simple - a family taking a road trip. Dad is grumpy with a broken leg, Mum seems a bit more sensible and trying to keep everyone in line, the eldest son is very quiet and the youngest son is QUITE the handful - precocious beyond belief and he won't shut up, but he's also pretty funny.

As time goes on, it becomes clear why they're on the road trip and emotions run high with everyone reacting in their own way to the situation, with the family unit still being the overriding factor. All in all, the film is a thoughtful meditation on family relationships - particularly what you'd do for your children, no matter what the cost to you. You'll always love them, even if they drive you mad or are acting quite unloveably - and you'll always want to give them advice, no matter how much they don't want it! And in that vein, the film meanders its way to a bittersweet but very satisfactory conclusion - it manages to pack a whole lot more plot in there than you initially envisage, with it being slowly released as the film progresses.

It's all well acted - Hassan Madjooni and Pantea Panahiha (the parents) in particular do a great job but Amin Simiar (the elder son) and Rayan Sarlak (the younger) join them in acting as a believable family unit. There are other people in the film, but it's fair to say they don't have the chance to shine - except for the cyclist in a road race that they accidentally knock over who takes his moment in the spotlight well.

The film is well written on several levels - it has believable characters, who you like and root for, even if they're not behaving at their best. They are also in a believable relationship - there's a lot here that will chime with anyone. But on top of that stable core, it also introduces some lovely song/dance routines and flights of fancy at times.

It has an utterly charming scene wherein the dad (wearing a very snazzy gold sleeping bag suit!) and youngest son talk utter nonsense about how much Batman's car is worth (and it feels exactly like the sort of thing a real family would talk about anywhere in the world). And as they talk, stars appear in the grass they're lying on and then it's slowly replaced by the night sky - it's just so lovely. It also manages to have a remarkably poignant scene where one of the family is tied to a tree and screaming his head off - which is quite the achievement.

It's also well filmed - a lot of it takes place in the car but it all feels well thought out. It's also got very cool scenery - there's all sorts in Iran it appears and it looks to be a beautiful country, but I suspect I won't be paying it a visit any time soon. And since it was both written and directed by Panah Panahi, he thoroughly deserves a name-check (and I enjoyed this a lot more than I enjoyed his father's film).

I wouldn't say this is a "great" film, but it's thoroughly enjoyable and relatable, whilst also having plenty of content to make you think a bit deeper about things and maybe appreciate your life a bit more. I also imagine that making any film in Iran is not a trivial undertaking (it really isn't), particularly one with some political content, so credit is due to the team involving in getting this out there. Some aspects of this film are very specific to Iran, but it feels easily transferable so I wouldn't be surprised to see an English language remake at some point - although in several places I was very much reminded of Little Miss Sunshine, so there's possibly an argument this is a Farsi-language politicised version of that!

Provided you don't mind subtitles, I think this is well worth watching - at the time of writing, it's available to rent in all the usual places (it's much more widely available than I was expecting) so maybe check it out.

An absolute gem in Iranian cinema, where Panah Panahi the son of Jafar Panahi takes the realism to another level, where the reality of life in Iran becomes surreal. "When we were kids, we would swim in it. Nowadays, you can only have a dust bath." The film depicts the very last trip of the family together. But Panahi keeps it real as it is in life. He shows simply by deeply the worries, sorrows and concerns of each family member. The movie is really Iranian, bittersweet. We've learned how to laugh and make jokes in our craziest, saddest times just like when the Mom is dancing with tearful wet eyes.

The actors are great but Pantea Panahiha is absolutely brilliant. Dialogues are so well written and the movie is full of poetic long shots which Panahi has brought from the cinema of his dad and predecessors masters like Kiarostami but it never gets boring.

I'm a little conflicted on how this movie makes me feel. Going into this movie, knowing nothing about it, there was so much that I really liked about it as well as so much I couldn't care for or straight disliked.

Let me get the negatives out of the way. As someone who is generally irritated by children, it was a tough enough ordeal to sit through a movie with one of the most annoying child characters ever put on film. Now that is not to say I don't get what the filmmaker was going for... The character for sure has his charm; his childhood and his innocence, but I'm probably the wrong person to find that appealing. And with that in the backdrop, I had a hard time connecting with any of the other characters, because they all felt like they were appealing to a particular familial bond that I just couldn't find myself relating to. I found every character to be in some way unlikeable and that just kept me from enjoying what should have been a heartful ride.

A heartful ride? Yes, because at its core, that's what it was... A goodbye that spans a road trip with each passing minute, the realisation of what will no longer. And while I couldn't connect with the characters, I for sure could connect with the journey. I have to very specially mention lead actress Pantea Panahiha; who gave one of the most complicated displays of emotion in her portrayal as the mother, coupled with the beautiful photography that made up for what could have been a claustrophobic ride... Two stand-out aspects of the movie that actually helped bring the script to life.

This isn't a movie made for me, but I wish it was. But that's for me to complain about and for me to listen to. I probably would hate being around any of the characters in this movie, but that is not an indication of how good the movie really is.

The debut movie of one of the my favourite Iranian filmmaker Jafar Pahani's son Panah Pahani. A perfect road trip comedy movie with heart stakes and unforgettable characters.

This movie is simultaneously lighter and deeper.

Filled with equal parts goofy laughs, humanistic

warmth and philosophic inquiry. Subtly reveals its deeper layers with a light touch. Talent clearly runs strong within the Panahi family. All the performances were so good, specially the child actor Rayan Sarlak's little brother character deserves to be in the hall of fame of great child characters. He is an absolute gem..

A mind-blowing fantastic dramatic movie. If you were born in a country with high immigration, you will understand the film better. Along with its strong direction and engaging story, the film's cinematography is a true masterpiece and perfectly serves the film and its dramatic story. Its soundtracks is memorable for many Iranians and reminds them of stories that help to strengthen their feelings while watching. It seems that the lack of communication with the story of the film and also the lack of familiarity with the immigration environment may make the film boring for some viewers, although if the subject is looked at from an artistic point of view, the film will have a lot to offer.

If you wanna watch a movie with real human beings as characters and not caricatures, this is your movie. This is a drama with comedy elements. Deadpan humour some times, heart-warming some others. There is a dividing line between "intellectual" and "highbrow". Most artistic movies cross that line. This one didn't. These are real people and their real problems. But there is no misery here, not doom and gloom. There is hope and love, whilst the movie remains heartfelt. Darkness/Light, Cry/Laughter, Hope/Despair. Balancing eternally.

I could never imagine that a kid who yells and screams all the time, would be such an adorable character. Every actor here is excellent, especially the father.

I can't rate it higher because it's not the most interesting movie ever, it's a simple road movie, not something mindblowing. (Still, it kept my interest). But its simplicity is a positive thing, simultaneously. There is a moment in the middle of it, shall i say, pure magic, you will know when you watch it. Even if you don't like this movie, there is no way you won't love this scene.

This film was phenomenal. It is rare to watch something that has you laughing and crying, then leaves you staying to the final credits in order to process your emotions.

A cathartic and intimate portrayal of exile.

Such stunning landscapes should be cheating, I instantly fell in love with them and they just continued to impress as the film went on. Of course, jaw dropping landscape shots alone do not make a good movie, and Hit the Road is an excellent movie. The delicate balance between heartbreaking sadness and humor is handled flawlessly. The humor is wry and often catches you off guard with its bluntness, while the melancholy of the purpose of their journey is stricken throughout the film. The acting is superb, with a child performance that could easily have been as annoying to the audience as it is to the family but is played to perfection allowing us to sympathize with his unfortunate position of ignorance in the importance of this journey.

This film easily earns multiple viewings from me in the future and I can't imagine it will ever be a drag to do so.

Maybe it could have gone a bit further narratively, but it's hard not to finish this film with the feeling that we've witnessed a small great film.

It's a movie quite contained in its social and family spectrum, but it's a film about departures, farewells, and even wakes, delivering its message in an exemplary way, through different perspectives. Considering it's just "a journey," I find it to be a remarkably complete work in how it presents striking differences in all its acts and in the way this journey is also perceived, with belief, but also with many doubts and uncertainties.

The four actors are just perfect and there are some perfect shots, especially in its second half when it leaves behind some visual conventions and surprises us, whether showing distant farewells as observers in an incredible wide shot or how it portrays "that" intergalactic trip. Another of the film's highlights is how it uses music in an exemplary and well-suited manner to each moment, evoking feelings of nostalgia even for those who know little or nothing about Iranian reality before and after the revolution. Great directorial debut!

Pantea Panahiha is such an incredible actress and her performance deserved better. I hate that I had to pause the movie so many times because that kid kept getting on my nerves. I know he's supposed to be the comedic relief, but he's not. We understand from the get go that he's getting on the family's nerves, but we as an audience shouldn't have to suffer it too, because then the movie is ruined for us as well.

There are so many beautiful shots... especially the one taken from a long distance when we only see the silhouettes moving around. I find those are far better executed than the "artsy" choice of the stars. And don't even get me started with Jessy. I'd watch a thousand prequels with him and the mother.

Panar Panahi, son of director Jafar Panahi, sentenced to six years in prison and 20 years without making films by the Iranian authorities (a ban he has already violated three times), follows in his father's footsteps using his mother as the main actress.

He makes his auspicious debut in a road movie about a persecuted family that tries to provide their eldest son with an escape from the country, while surviving with a ray of hope, provided by the joy of the youngest.

The message is evident. Iran has nothing to offer the current generation, condemned to exile. The joy of children remains to provide hope for change in a future that is slow to arrive.

Most of the news about Iran is quite gloomy in the West and so I didn't quite know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie which focusses on this trip by a family to drop the older son somewhere (not quite sure what is going on but it doesn't matter). Because the movie is so focussed on the interactions between the characters, it becomes universally relevant and relatable. The overprotective mother babying her older son (even sharing her cigarette with him), the father making casual caustic comments (and bonding with his son in the end), the younger brother amusing everyone (amazing child actor BTW!) and the long suffering older son, along with a dying pet dog. The songs and poetry are evocative and the cinematography excellent, despite filming in the cramped SUV. The glorious landscapes, the light, long roads and poetic dialogue gives the movie a Coen brothers touch. Certainly made me reassess my relationships!

HIT THE ROAD by Iranian director Panah Panahi (who also wrote it) is about a boring family on a boring road trip across a boring landscape. Mum tries to laugh, but sometimes she can't help the tears that run down her face. Meanwhile, in the back seat, Dad is nursing a broken leg and the youngest belts out car karaoke. The only quiet one is the older brother. The family is hit by one problem after another, but they just keep going. All these elements may make it sound like an interesting movie. But, while the cinematography is gorgeous, and the little boy, played by Rayan Sarlak, is a scene-stealer, the film feels long and slow. There's no real plot or character development and for most of the movie, we have no idea what the purpose of the trip is which means the events on the trip a without context.

If you're in the mood for a visually stunning but ultimately frustrating film, HIT THE ROAD might be for you. Otherwise, skip it.