Hit the Road

With his directorial debut, Panah Panahi matches his famous father Jafar’s high level of filmmaking, and gets inspiration from his compatriots Abbas Kiaraostami and Mohsen Makhmalbaf. We follow a family of four and their dog on a road trip through the rural areas of Iran, and through them we gain insight into Iranian everyday life and storytelling – interspersed with a good dose of humor, magical realism, and surrealism. Panahi is constantly careful not to reveal more about the characters than what is strictly necessary, and even if the film progresses at a slow pace, it remains exciting all the way.

As the film largely takes place in and around a car it’s easy to draw parallels to Kiarostami's masterpiece, The Taste of Cherries (1997), in addition to Panai Sr.’s films such as 3 Faces (2018) and Taxi Tehran (2015). However, Hit the Road is visually richer, with some scenes that break up the action, and are so cinematic and beautiful that they can easily take your breath away. Panah Panahi won the award for Best Film at BFI London Film Festival 2021.

Jon Sæter

Director

Panah Panahi (f. 1984) makes his directorial debut with Hit the Road. He has previously worked on 3 Faces, directed by his famous father Jafar. He has both written and directed his film, and used his father as a consultant during the production. Panahi lives in the Iranian capital Tehran.

This film is part of