The literal translation is (as usual) better - 'Dirt Road'. A family on the road, is the essence - they are on their way to a mysterious destination as the older son is going to leave the country to find work elsewhere. Hassan Madjooni is the sardonic broken-legged husband, Pantea Panahia as his strong-willed wife, Amin Simiah as the elder brother, and a remarkably authentic performance from Rayan Sarlak as the chattering, free-willed little boy.
Looks like it's paying homage to Addas Kiarostami in its long wide shots of cars travelling through inhospitable terrains. Often plays out in long scenes against great backdrops. In this one -
- (in which thoughtfully the subtitles are in the middle of the screen, so as not to disrupt the action) you cannot help but get lost on the changing shape of the clouds. And this one -
- is a single take which lasts several minutes.
2001 and comic book characters get references.
Liked some of the popular music e.g. Hayedeh by Soghati. And some of the landscape is incredible:
And then, despite all this naturalistic shooting, the ending features the father and boy melting into the stars; then the very finale has the boy singing us out, to camera. So it's a surprising and warm and interesting film, which stays in the head after it's finished.
Panahi's first film - his only previous credit was as the editor of 3 Faces!
I didn't realise - Q told me - the sequence with the cyclist: he's actually cheating, using them as a way of getting ahead of the other competitors!
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