Hit the Road

"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.

(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.

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..

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.