You know what they say: thebest road tripsaren’t all about the destination but about the little moments in between. There’s everything from hilarious inside jokes to unexpected detours, and in the case ofPanah Panahi’sHit The Road, the unshakeable feeling that all the laughter is a front. From the get-go, Panahi’s directorial debut masquerades itself as a heartwarming family dramedy. Thefamily dynamicsare light, playful, and even adorably addictive when you considerRayan Sarlak’s performance as the younger brother. Even their sickly dog is along for the ride, but something isn’t right.
It’s clear the purpose of the trip isn’t as carefree as they’d like it to be; something is lurking deeper, and no one is brave enough to say it out loud. But as the narrative progresses, the weight of the truth gets too heavy to hide under. This is not your run-of-the-mill family getaway, it’s some sort of farewell. Without spilling all the beans,Hit the Roadis the story of an Iranian family’s journey to smuggle their first son across the border. But rather than leaning into the gloominess of the situation, the movie mixes in moments of peace, surrealness, and humor. It’s a delicate balancing act, but Panahi pulls it off, and the result is a funny, somewhat melanchonic movie that’s equally deeply moving.
Right off the bat,Hit the Roadfeels like a light movie about a family road trip. They tease each other, the little brother is buzzing with energy, and even their ailing dog somehow inspires a few laughs. Butas picturesque as things are, everything is not what it seems. The comedy inHit the Roadisn’t just there to up the entertainment value, it’s a sort of palette cleanser for an uncomfortable truth. This isn’t just a drive across the country — they’re secretly smuggling their eldest son out of Iran after all. No one actually says the words, but the tension is lingering in the background of every scene. It’s there in the dad’s (Hassan Majooni) eyes whenever he cracks a joke. And while the mom (Pantea Panahiha) plays along, it’s easy to see how hard she’s trying to hold it together.
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“We just travel to travel.”
In one scene that makes this painfully obvious, the younger brother performs a full-blownmusical number. It’s heartwarming and all shades of humorous, but while everyone soaks it in, the camera lingers on the older brother, Farid (Amin Simiar). He’s not as amused as everyone, in fact, he’s quiet and distant. The contrast stings because, on the one hand, there’s one child who’s blissfully unaware while the other is carrying theweight of a goodbyehe can’t even talk about. At this point, it’s clear that the comedy is a coping mechanism the family uses to move aheadbecause the truth is too painful.
Family road trips have a certain charm to them, there are games, snacks, at least one petty squabble over directions, and above all, bonding.Hit the Roadhas all that and then some, but this is not your run-of-the-mill journey. The closer the family gets to their destination, the easier it is to see thatthere’s some sadnessbeneath the surface. As mentioned earlier, at the start of the film, theatmosphere is lighthearted, and the road trip seems like an actual road trip. There’s bickering over nothing, playfulness, shenanigans, and tons of laughs. But the scenery shifts, and so does the mood. The road itself was brimming with lush scenery that soon transformed into empty landscapes. In the same way, the atmosphere in the car shifts to something a lot quieter. And that’s the point—the road reflects what the family can’t say out loud.
There’s this moment when they stop in the middle of nowhere, and the older brother stares out at the empty road ahead as he stretches his legs. It’s one of those scenes where no dialogue is needed to communicate. The silence mirrors the uncertainty that he feels as he stares at a road that stretches further than the eye can see. Needless to say, it’s easy to understand hisinner turmoil,this road doesn’t just lead to his new beginning, but it’s taking him away from everything he’s ever known. Besides being a physical path, the road signifies loss, unwanted change, and an uncertain future.
