Film Review: Hit the Road (2021) Dir. Panah Panahi
Courtesy of Celluloid Dreams © Panah Panahi
Written by Belle McIntyre
The enduring allure of the “road movie” for both directors and audiences is obvious, as it provides a challenging framework by limiting action and movement and bringing the focus up close and personal, allowing subtle details and interactions to come across with the utmost naturalism, more like a stage play. I think this film will be on the top of the list of great road movies. It has everything: a fantastic cast of fully-drawn, appealing characters, sensitively and distinctively portrayed, a gradually revealed story well-paced and intricately woven between humor and a mysterious sadness. There are also secrets and lies.
Courtesy of Celluloid Dreams © Panah Panahi
A middle-aged Iranian couple and their two sons are driving from Tehran through the sparse countryside toward Turkey. The eldest son, Farid (Amin Simiar), solemn and morose, is driving with his beautiful mother (Pantea Panahiha) in front. In the back is Khosro (Hassan Madjooni), the dad, a bearish, scruffy curmudgeon with a full leg cast which is stretched into the front of the SUV between the seats, and the six-year old little brother (Rayan Sarlak), an unruly, clever rapscallion who is incessantly asking questions and challenging the answers. He and his father trash talk to each other like stevedores, in a routine that they have developed which does not take anything away from the obvious gruff affection they have for each other. There are many amusing road incidents along the way, including one where the ailing dog Jessy takes off down the road dragging the chair he was tied to. He is running to join the mother who has gotten out of the car in a fit of pique and started walking.
Courtesy of Celluloid Dreams © Panah Panahi
The mother is the stable center of the family, always trying to smooth things over and make peace. When all else fails, she might suddenly and charmingly burst into song. Sometimes pop songs on the radio or traditional tunes a capella. As the terrain changes and becomes more lush the purpose of this road trip emerges. It seems that the family has sold their house and belongings and decamped from their life in Tehran in order to raise enough funds to get Farid out of Iran for reasons we never learn. They have not told younger brother the truth. He thinks Farid is going to get married.
The confinement of the car gives way to some gorgeous wide angle long shots as the family makes contact with the dubious characters who are being paid to get Farid out of the country.
These potentially ominous encounters and transactions are lightened by the fact that the Turkish traffickers betray hilarious moments of buffoonish amateurism. The heaviness of the departure of the first son, the death of Jessy, and the insecurity of the future are not dwelled upon. These are regular folks who seem resigned to doing whatever is necessary in a thinly-veiled reference to life in an authoritarian country. The unbridled energy and joyful exuberance of “Monkey the second” will, no doubt get them through. It certainly worked for me.
Courtesy of Celluloid Dreams © Panah Panahi
This is an exceptional first film by the son of one of Iran’s premier filmmakers, Jafir Panahi, with whom he apprenticed and collaborated for years before working as an assistant to Abbas Kiorostami, incorporates the received wisdom of both mentors while bringing new energy and brightness to the genre. The apple did not fall far from the tree. There is much to look forward to in the future and much to savor in the moment.
