Hit the Road

Director
Panah Panahi
Producer
Panah Panahi
Year
2021
Length
93 minutes
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Description

Follows a chaotic, tender family that is on a road trip across a rugged landscape and fussing over the sick dog and getting on each others' nerves. Only the mysterious older brother is quiet.

Panah Panahi, son and collaborator of Iranian master Jafar Panahi (3 Faces, Taxi), makes a striking feature debut with this charming, sharp-witted, and deeply moving comic drama. Hit the Road takes the tradition of the Iranian road-trip movies and adds unexpected twists and turns. It follows a family of four - two middle-aged parents and their sons, one taciturn adult, the other an ebullient six-year-old - as they drive across the Iranian countryside. 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 furtive purpose for their journey. The result is a humanist drama that offers an authentic, raw, and deeply sincere observation of an Iranian family preparing to part with one of their own.