Beautiful landscapes and outstanding performances are inescapable in Iranian director Panah Panahi’s wonderful debut feature Hit the Road. What begins as a charming and rather lighthearted family road picture quickly gives way to something far more mysterious as Mother, Father, and Little Brother (Pantea Panahiha, Hasan Majuni, and Rayan Sarlak) playfully push each other’s buttons and joke around while Big Brother (Amin Simiar) broods silently in the driver’s seat.
As the miles tick away, and as their destination is only occasionally hinted at, it becomes clear this is no ordinary family trip. Something is off about this ride — that much is clear — but Panahi’s pacing ensures that the continuously evasive destination never outweighs the love and sincerity that motivates the journey. As a family comedy/drama, Hit the Road has plenty to offer, but as its secrets are slowly revealed (watch as Big Brother explains the climax of 2001: A Space Odyssey to his mother), it becomes the rare film that proves to be much more than the sum of its parts.
Hit the Road was screened as part of our coverage of the 57th CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.
Originally published by ASHEVILLE MOVIES.
James is a writer, skateboarder, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.