Hit the Road

Surprisingly good! My new favorite road trip movie. / “You smoke a lot while watching movies. Don’t watch movies.”

This film is quite touching and poignant but only really towards the end - I wasn't overly bothered about it for the most part before then. It depicts a day in the life of a family on a road trip, with their domestic issues and arguments. The young boy was relatively amusing (his energetic enthusiasm at times is certainly somewhat infectious), with some witty dialogue, drawing on the car windows and such like. The scene I really liked showed him cuddling up to his father.

There are some really lovely moments in this that I already know will stick with me and inevitably lead me to think I underrated this. I do feel a bit held back by the film's first half which ambles along amiably, but plays coy with the actual circumstances of the plot to build intrigue. The best moments lie in the back half. But then, I suppose it's also arguable that the reason the back half works as well as it does is because of the way the first half is played.

There is no doubting this is a film by Jafar Panahi's son; dry wit, young lead actors who perilously straddle the line between being precocious and a pain in the arse, driving through epic Iranian landscapes. Hence, in some ways, it is a diluted Kiarostami film. It suffers the same fate as many first feature films in that the filmmaker (Panah Panahi) lacks the self-awareness and self-control to realise what ought to be included/excluded in the finished product (e.g. lip-syncing finale).

Low key family drama that reveals its story slowly in the interactions between the various family members. The viewer is left to contemplate the whys in this intriguing and touching , beautifully put together film.

Enjoyable enough road movie that's pleasant in the stark differences between each of the family members, and at times the imagery is unbelievably amazing. I do think there's a bit too much vagueness with the central plot, and it ultimately doesn't lift like the director's father's films would. And the sick dog angle is REALLY needless -- the whole family just doesn't care about him :(

Amazed at how elegantly this film resolves its mysteries of all sizes. A car ride through strange terrain, running towards the end of a shared existence. A harrowing examination of human injustice and grief, with the light of innocence and family giving it purpose, life, laughter.

Panahi Jr's debut is an impressive road trip where a family is driving its eldest son to the Azeri border for reasons that are never entirely explicated (for the best, or the director might end up like his often imprisoned father Jafar) - in general, exposition is very slow, but the implicit political criticism is evident. A highly realistic work very much in the vein of arthouse Iranian cinema stylistically and thematically, with great attention to family dynamics.

I feel conflicted about the more "aesthetical" scenes. While great on their own right, they don't really fit or add to the (also great) narrative and I feel it cheapened the experience as a whole.

This was a beautiful and moving film, a story of love, loss, and hope. The film was visually stunning and featured excellent performance from the cast. I sense some Wes Anderson vibes too. This will be one of those films that will stick with me for a while.

I can see why many find this charming but I gotta say that I did not really enjoy the ride despite really good acting, cinematography and an effective score. Particularly not the scenes with singing and the one centering on the youngest member of the family.

Persian poetic style meets the American indenpent movies

The kid is soo annoying.

Probably has the most visually striking shots of landscapes all year. This should have been nominated for cinematography. The acting is stellar across the board, helped by CONSTANT believable and witty dialogue. There are formal choices that retracted from the experience. (Sad Batman not among them) Stares at the camera throughout and an ending that goes meta brought it down from a movie I could love to one in which I find much to admire. Amazing first feature in any case.

Deferent Road Trip Film about Mandatory Road Scape from ...!!! Admirable and so Hopeful As a First Work!!!

That damn radio antenna. That got me; the hope against the impossible. Hit The Road spends a long time gradually letting the audience in on its premise, painting a family dynamic that eventually becomes so clear without having to do any big reveals, just leaves you feeling what they feel. Brilliant.

Mannered, long-winded, underdeveloped. Some excursions into magic realism and karaoke seem to me like poetic placeholders. The film keeps us at a distance by being so low-key and nonchalant in its telling. There is no danger and there is no development, just worry on people's faces counterbalanced with an "annoying" and precious kid. I reckon it's as flat as this review.

Some tragedy, some comedy bordering on the absurd, some beautiful photography, and 100% brilliant acting. A must see.