Hit the Road

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!

The war doesnt end when the last bullet is fired. The aftermaths of the war are so deep it takes a lot to get out of that, even after the war is over. The numbness it creates into our heart to the things which otherwise would have split our soul into pieces. We have to act hard on the things which are tearing us apart. The story is good, you can feel the tension in the car. The extreme steps and the heart they have to bear for this. Things dont always pan out the way we think. Almost all 10-12 year kids are annoying. He played his part best. He is like the audience, not knowing what is happening around them. Visuals were great. Also, the persian music hits too close to home. Start is a bit wobbly but it catches on later, some parts seems stretched but overall nice experience.

(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.

Excellent humor.

A film full of emotions, without demureness, alternating moods -like those of children-, enchanting landscape and directorial perfection.

Panah Panahi, seems to follow in the footsteps of his father, and his predecessors (e.g. Kiarostami), adding his own modern view.

An absolute gem in Iranian cinema, where Panah Panahi the son of Jafar Panahi takes the realism to another level, where the reality of life in Iran becomes surreal. "When we were kids, we would swim in it. Nowadays, you can only have a dust bath." The film depicts the very last trip of the family together. But Panahi keeps it real as it is in life. He shows simply by deeply the worries, sorrows and concerns of each family member. The movie is really Iranian, bittersweet. We've learned how to laugh and make jokes in our craziest, saddest times just like when the Mom is dancing with tearful wet eyes.

The actors are great but Pantea Panahiha is absolutely brilliant. Dialogues are so well written and the movie is full of poetic long shots which Panahi has brought from the cinema of his dad and predecessors masters like Kiarostami but it never gets boring.