256. Hit The Road (Jaddeh Khaki); movie review

 

HIT THE ROAD

Cert 12A

94 mins

BBFC advice: Contains infrequent moderate bad language

Immigration is a word which always stirs up negative emotions in the UK but rarely do we bother to understand the stories of those who have fled their homeland or who they have left behind.

Panah Panahi's comedy-drama Hit The Road emphasises the dangers, heartbreak and even farce involved in illegally crossing a border.

It follows a quirky family who are on a trip to secure the elder son's freedom.

Not that the viewer would know for most of the movie which is centred more on sharp tongues of their testy interactions.

Hit The Road stars Amin Simiar as a young man who clearly needs to get away from his homeland although the full reasons are obscured.

His father (Mohammad Hassan Madjooni) begrudgingly goes along with the trip despite having a leg in plaster from what is presumed to be a broken leg.

He has brokered his son's escape with a contact who he consistently describes as a "straight-up guy" as if he is trying to persuade himself.

The young man's mother (Pantea Panahiha) despite being the most well-adjusted of the car's four passengers is clearly divided over what may the best option for her boy and potentially not seeing him again.

And then there is the couple's much younger son (Rayan Sarlak) who is a ball of unrestrained energy and offsets the serious side of the movie with a classic comedy performance.

Hit The Road has plenty of amusing moments but it also adeptly tackles a very serious point, showing just how fraught leaving Iran can be.

But it deliberately avoids the worst horrors and sticks to the fall-out on family - in this case, a rather unusual one.

Sarlak's tangents will certainly prompt a chuckle while the overall movie should prick consciences.

Meanwhile, there are some stunning backdrops of Iran's border country.

Reasons to watch: A deft combination of amusing and serious

Reasons to avoid: Quite slow

Laughs: Chuckles rather than laughs

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? An average of 1,000 people cross illegally from Iran to Turkey daily despite the risk of falling prey to wild animals or freezing to death during winter.

The final word. Panah Panahi: "What remains unsaid is at the heart of our culture, even above politics or the current situation. Iranian culture is a social structure in which you cannot be honest, you cannot express your opinions or needs or your reactions. You always have to think about what’s acceptable socially." The Skinny

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