Hit The Road

Panah Panahi—son of Iranian New Wave legend Jafar Panahi (The White Balloon, Offside)— makes a striking feature debut with this charming, sharp-witted and ultimately deeply moving comic drama.  Hit the Road takes the tradition of the Iranian road-trip movie and adds unexpected twists and turns. Panahi follows a family of four – two middle-aged parents and their two sons; one a taciturn adult, the other an ebullient 6-year-old – as they drive across the stunning Iranian countryside toward an unspoken destination.  Over the course of the trip, they bond over memories of the past, grapple with fears of the unknown, and fuss over their sick dog. Unspoken tensions arise and the film builds emotional momentum as it slowly reveals the purpose for their journey. Effortlessly shifting from subtle comedy to understated drama and back again, Panahi revels in the hilarious, emotional eccentricities of a family on the move and the strangers they meet along the way. (Dir. by Panah Panahi, 2021, Iran, in Farsi with English subtitles, 93 mins., Not Rated)