An affectionate, if argumentative family hits the road in Iranian filmmaker Paha Panahi's assured debut in order to save the oldest son from the repercussions of an unnamed, politically-oriented incident.
Mom (Pantea Panahiha), Dad (Hassan Madjooni), little brother (Rayan Sarlak), big brother (Amin Simiar), and Jessy, the family dog, have barely begun their journey when the mother hears the unmistakable ding of a ringtone (there's mention of an older sister, but she isn't among the traveling party). The father had instructed the six-year-old to leave his cellphone behind, but this hilarious and exasperating scamp had hidden it in his underwear. Mom promptly removes the Sim card to evade detection.
Another impediment lies in the father's leg cast. Impediments accumulate as the "little monkey" defaces the rented SUV, the mother suspects they're being followed, and the tank springs a leak. Along their journey, Panahi reveals the sacrifices made to get to this point, from losing their home to selling their car. For all of the squabbling and swearing, the family love runs deep.
If fear lies below the surface, humorous moments abound, most instigated by the little brother who has no idea he's part of something other than a family vacation. When he cheers on a bicycle racer, for instance, the distraction causes a crash, which leads to an injury and a ride for the Lance Armstrong-obsessed racer who dismisses his steroid use as "fake news." For all the frivolity, though, 20-year-old big brother, the designated driver, spends more time smoking and worrying than laughing.
In best road movie fashion, Hit the Road also serves as a travelogue as the family passes pistachio-like hills, hot springs, and babbling brooks. En route to the border, they meet other travelers in cars and buses. Jessy, meanwhile, grows increasingly ill, and the mother finds it harder and harder to let the big brother go. Though no one says it out loud, there's the distinct possibility they'll never see him again. Panahi leaves some details intentionally vague, like what he intends to do when he gets to Turkey.
If Hit the Road plays out realistically most of the way through, the director employs surrealistic flights of fancy towards the end as the father and little brother appear to float into space, growing smaller and smaller until they become a twinkling star. He also includes musical-like sequences as family members sing and dance to sentimental, pre-revolution songs on the radio.
Panahi’s debut premiered at the same time his father, Jafar Panahi, remained under house arrest for speaking out against the state, though that hasn't stopped him from making a series of micro-budget films (after he threatened a hunger strike in 2023, the Iranian government finally let him go). With Hit the Road, his son proves a worthy successor to his father's mastery of small-scale dramas bursting with empathy for regular people doing the best they can under trying circumstances.
What public library shelves would this title be on?
Hit the Road would fit with international and Persian-language film shelves in public libraries.
What type of college professors would find this title valuable?
Professors of Middle Eastern, Iranian, and international film studies will find Hit the Road both accessible and thought-provoking. Prior knowledge of Iranian politics, particularly regarding censorship, would be helpful, though not essential.