Hit The Road

Director: Panah Panahi, Cast: Pantea Panahiha, Hasan Majuni, Rayan Sarlak, Winner: Cannes Film Festival, New York Film Festival, Persian with English subtitles, NR

Panah Panahi, son and collaborator make a striking feature debut with this charming, sharp-witted, and deeply moving comic drama. In the tradition of the Iranian road-trip movie the film adds unexpected twists and turns. It follows a family of four—two middle-aged parents and their sons, one a 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. “From the first jokey moments of “Hit the Road” until its heartbreaking end you will not want to be anywhere else.” —A.O. Scott, New York Times