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Hit the Road Movie Review

Hit the Road is a 2022 Iranian road trip dramedy film directed by Panah Panahi and starring Pantea Panahiha among others. It’s one of the best movies of the year.

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“One doesn’t cry in front of one’s mother“

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A middle-aged couple and their two sons embark on a road trip across the Iranian countryside. Over the course of their journey, they bond over memories of the past, grapple with fears of the unknown and fuss over their sick dog. Panah Panahi is the son of the famed Jafar Panahi, who is one of Iran’s most renowned directors and who is admirably oppositional to the country’s authoritarian regime. You can also sense that rebelliousness in his son’s cinematic language.

This is by far the best directorial debut of the year as this man knows what he’s doing from the very beginning. The movie is so confidently directed that it felt as if it was directed by a much older and more experienced director. This is the sign of true talent emerging and let’s hope that he continues to make great movies soon.

Watching this story about a family on a road trip as they have fun but also experience tragedy instantly reminded me of ‘Little Miss Sunshine’, which is one of my favorite movies of this century. This is an Iranian version of that film and it’s a culturally authentic take on the story that not only worked, but it felt like something truly fresh and exciting.

Throughout the entire first half this story functions pretty much as a lightweight comedy, but in its third act it moves into heartbreaking tragedy. The mixing of the tones was deftly executed and this is a rare film that showcases life as it is – full of tears and laughs. It also emphasizes how tragedy and comedy go hand in hand with each other.

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Nowhere is that more evident than in that brilliant final sequence where the family sings and “has fun”, but they clearly do this as a coping mechanism. This sequence with the lip syncing and characters almost breaking the fourth wall felt inherently cinematic as the director clearly knows the transcendental nature of cinema and how to use it to the story’s benefit.

For a film that is this intimate, Hit the Road’s characterization is only solid. This is the biggest issue of the movie as it is too ambiguous in the characters’ backstories for the characters to get significantly developed arcs. This ambiguity made for an exciting first half where you never knew where the story will take you and there is a universality to this story that is achieved with this approach, but still some more details in their lives would have made the plot even richer.

With that being said, most of the characters still make an impact. The older son is the catalyst of the story, and although not fully defined, he wonderfully represents all those misfits who simply do not fin in these authoritarian regimes. The younger brother is the heart of the film as this kid is so realistically portrayed as being both annoying and very endearing.

The father as this grumpy old man is a familiar character, but he is so well performed and ultimately so likable that he made an emotional impact. The father-son bonding scene is another heartwarming highlight. The mother is most memorable as Pantea Panahiha delivered the best and most impactful performance. All the close-ups of her struggling to cope with her emotions made for a heart-wrenching watch.

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Hit the Road also features a colorful soundtrack, excellent pacing and editing and the runtime that was just right for this story. It consistently felt engaging and even riveting. Another highlight is the cinematography, which is outstanding. It’s one of the best-shot movies of the year as it features an eclectic mix of powerfully intimate close-ups and expansive long takes that are filmed from afar, but that still pack an emotional wallop. It’s masterfully crafted all-around.