Hit the Road

In Panah Panahi's feature film debut as director, an Iranian family embarks on a road trip treating audiences to joyful heights and disarming depth.

Taking the tradition of the Iranian road trip movie and adding some unexpected twists and turns, Hit the Road follows a family of four – two middle-aged parents and their sons; one a taciturn adult, the other an ebullient six-year-old – as they drive across the Iranian countryside. Over the course of the trip, they bond over memories of the past, grapple with fears of the unknown and fuss over their sick dog, and tensions soon rise.

Curator’s note

Director Panah Panahi, the son and collaborator of now-imprisoned filmmaker Jafar Panahi and former apprentice to Iranian master Abbas Kiarostami, makes a striking feature debut with this charming, sharp-witted, and deeply moving comic humanist drama.

– Reece Goodwin; Curator, Special Events & TV