HIT THE ROAD (2022) – Review

Ah, with the slowly rising temps and with most schools getting ready to finish u[ their “grade years”, many families are hearing the call of the open highway. Maybe more so than other forms of mass transportation, driving may be the best option with new “variants’ popping up . But long hours in such “close quarters’ can certainly put a strain on the old “family dynamic”. And that’s probably true with families all around the world. In this new release, we’re in the ‘passenger seat’ for a winding journey through the battered dusty highways and byways of Iran. What really complicates this trek is what’s “packed away” with the bottled water and snacks, namely some big secrets. So, will these “hidden agendas” keep locked away when they HIT THE ROAD?

This story begins with a “rest stop’ off the shoulder of a baking trail full of sand and rocks. Papa (Hasan Majuni) is trying to nap in the back seat, while his left leg, which has been in a plaster cast for a loooong while, stretches into the front armrests. Of course, his slumber is thwarted by his “spirited” six-year-old son who’s mainly known as “little bro” (Rayan Sarlak). Meanwhile, his older “big bro” (Amin Simiar) walks around the borrowed SUV, looking for dents and leaks. In the front passenger seat, Mama (Pantea Panahiha) is jolted awake by her little boy’s hidden cell phone he had promised not to bring it along, so she grabs it and dashes away to hide it under a nearby rock, insisting that they will pick it up on the return home (odd). Soon they are back on the move, with the somber big brother at the wheel. Along the way, they encounter a cycling fan and make several “pit stops” to take the dog Jessy (who is very ill, though his frailty is hidden from the youngster) for a “walk”. After much squabbling, they get directions to their destination from a shepherd. It’s a “drop off” point for Big Bro, who has told his Little Bro that he’s off to a new job in a new city. The parents go along with the big “fib” and try to comfort their younger son while worrying about the possible dissolution of their family.

There’s a reason that the marketers have put Sarlak on the film’s poster (solo at that). He’s that rarity of child actors, one who seems completely natural on-camera. Plus he’s like so many “little men” of so many families. His character tests the patience of everyone around him, exhausting his elders to the breaking point. But it’s so hard to stay mad at him as he’s so endearing and plain adorable (watch him dance to the local pop tunes on the radio). Oh, but there’s the stubbornness, like a “dog with a bone”, never letting up on the questions as though he’s a broken record (or sound file). He’s a “formidable opponent” and makes a good sparring “scene partner” for Majuni as the gruff, always somewhat annoyed papa. He teases and taunts as he doesn’t let his inner turmoil bubble to the surface. He is quite the counterpart to Panahiha as the matriarch with her “emotions on her sleeve”, also trying to hide her fears and comforting her two “fellas” and attempting to be the glue that must repair their fractured family. The most crumbling piece is her eldest who is an enigma as played by a very stoic Simiar. He’s trying to keep focused and not get caught up on the fable concocted for his tiny sibling. There’s a spiritual sword dangling above his head but struggles to keep it out of his thoughts.

Director/writer Panah Panahi deftly balances comic exchanges and deep interpersonal conflicts while following this quartet across the desert. Sure, we know folks get quarrelsome while traveling, but there’s much going on beneath the surface. That may be the most difficult aspect of this tale. Clues and hints are dropped, but we feel almost as baffled as “lil bro”, aching to know exactly why we’re there and what’s really the problem with “big bro”. But there are great “crumbs’ along the trail. An encounter with a cyclist provides some needed humor, while a camping sequence with papa and his lil’ boy has a cosmic, mystical vibe. But then we’re kept at arm’s length, observing scenes from far, far away (this makes the subtitling even more difficult to sort out), leading to an ending full of dangling plot threads. Thanks to the teaming of Sarlak and Mujani HIT THE ROAD chugs along but over its final miles, the film just meanders and runs out of gas.

2 Out of 4

HIT THE ROAD opens in select theatres everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas