[imagesource: Kino Lorber]

Dubbed the “Persian Little Miss Sunshine”, the debut film by Panah Panahi, the son of jailed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, is defiant and beautiful.

Hit the Road has come out masterfully and artfully, despite all the roadblocks that were in the way.

Making a film in Iran is no easy feat. Finding a talented child actor is a challenge. Directing said child is also not for the faint-hearted.

“But they all come together in this lovely, beautifully composed debut feature drenched in a subtle but urgent political meaning,” writes The Guardian, which awarded the film five stars.

Panahi’s father has been sentenced to six years in prison for expressing pro-democracy ideals and criticising the Iranian government, but being familiarly connected didn’t stop Panahi from making a film despite the threat of the Iranian authorities snooping.

In fact, the obstacle lent quite a heavy influence on the making of Hit The Road:

It takes the form of a road movie, though that Hollywood term doesn’t really cover Hit the Road, which is part of Iranian cinema’s entirely distinct genre of films shot semi-covertly in a car, and has evolved to avoid Iranian state snooping.

Image: TCD/Prod.DB/Alamy

It is a mode of film-making using the interior possibilities of the car, which is both prop, symbol, mobile location and means of transporting cast and crew about without attracting attention during filming. Abbas Kiarostami’s Taste of Cherry and Jafar Panahi’s Taxi Tehran are other examples.

The movie follows a family on an uncomfortable road trip in a borrowed car through remote north-western Iran.

They’re making their way to the Turkey/Azerbaijan border for the elder son (Amin Simiar) to get married, as per the fabled story that the parents tell their youngest son, a zany 8-year-old boy, played by Rayan Sarlak.

Sarlak is the star of the show, giving a “glorious performance” as he continually winds down the window while he winds everyone up.

I’ve already shed a tear watching the trailer:

Hit the Road will be out from tomorrow in UK cinemas.

[source:guardian]