FILMS

HIT THE ROAD This is a brilliantly distinctive debut by Panah Panahi – the son of veteran director Jafar Panahi, who over the last decade has been finding inventive new ways to overcome the restrictions placed on him by the Iranian government. While his father made films while under house arrest (This Is Not A Film) or in the confines of a cab (Tehran Taxi), Panah has responded to the theme of enclosure by making a film about escape. Hit The Road is about a family headed to the Iran-Turkey border, where the oldest son (Amin Simiar) hopes to leave his country. He’s joined by his mother (Pantea Panahiha), cantankerous father (Hassan Madjooni) who’s stuck in the back seat with his leg in plaster, and his restless kid brother (Rayan Sarlak), plus an ailing dog named Jessy.

As with most road movies, what’s important is the ride and the company. We find