A road movie is a

film genre A film genre is a stylistic or thematic category for motion pictures based on similarities either in the narrative elements, aesthetic approach, or the emotional response to the film. Drawing heavily from the theories of literary-genre cri ...

in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the

hinterlands Hinterland is a German word meaning "the land behind" (a city, a port, or similar). Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated ...

, with the films exploring the theme of alienation and examining the tensions and issues of the cultural identity of a nation or historical period; this is all often enmeshed in a mood of actual or potential menace, lawlessness, and violence, a "distinctly

existential Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and valu ...

air"Cohan, Steven and Hark, Ina Rae. "Introduction". ''The Road Movie Book''. Eds. Cohan, Steven and Hark, Ina Rae. Routledge, 2002. p. 1 and 6 and is populated by restless, "frustrated, often desperate characters".Laderman, David. ''Driving Visions: Exploring the Road Movie''. University of Texas Press, 2010. Ch. 1 The setting includes not just the close confines of the car as it moves on highways and roads, but also booths in diners and rooms in roadside motels, all of which helps to create intimacy and tension between the characters.Cohan, Steven and Hark, Ina Rae. "Introduction". ''The Road Movie Book''. Eds. Cohan, Steven and Hark, Ina Rae. Routledge, 2002. p. 8 Road movies tend to focus on the theme of masculinity (with the man often going through some type of crisis), some type of rebellion,

car culture Since the start of the twentieth century, the role of cars has become highly important, though controversial. They are used throughout the world and have become the most popular mode of transport in many of the more developed countries. In dev ...

, and self-discovery.Archer, Neil. ''THE FRENCH ROAD MOVIE: Space, Mobility, Identity''. Berghahn Books. p. 2 The core theme of road movies is "rebellion against conservative social norms". There are two main narratives: the quest and the outlaw chase. In the quest-style film, the story meanders as the characters make discoveries (e.g., ''

Two-Lane Blacktop ''Two-Lane Blacktop'' is a 1971 American road movie directed by Monte Hellman, written by Rudy Wurlitzer and starring songwriter James Taylor, the Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, Warren Oates, and Laurie Bird. Plot Two street racers, the Dr ...

'' from 1971). In outlaw road movies, in which the characters are fleeing from law enforcement, there is usually more sex and violence (e.g., ''

Natural Born Killers ''Natural Born Killers'' is a 1994 American crime film directed by Oliver Stone and starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, and Tom Sizemore. The film tells the story of two victims of traumatic childho ...

'' from 1994). Road films tend to focus more on characters' internal conflicts and transformations, based on their feelings as they experience new realities on their trip, rather than on the dramatic movement-based sequences that predominate in

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...

s. Road movies do not typically use the standard three-act structure used in mainstream films; instead, an "open-ended, rambling plot structure" is used. The road movie keeps its characters "on the move", and as such the "car, the

tracking shot A tracking shot is any shot where the camera follows backward, forward or moves alongside the subject being recorded. In cinematography, the term refers to a shot in which the camera is mounted on a camera dolly that is then placed on rails � ...

, ndwide and wild open space" are important iconography elements, similar to a

Western movie The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

.Hayward, Susan. "Road movie" in ''Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts'' (Third Edition). Routledge, 2006. p. 335-336 As well, the road movie is similar to a Western in that road films are also about a "frontiersmanship" and about the codes of discovery (often self-discovery). Road movies often use the music from the car stereo, which the characters are listening to, as the soundtrack and in 1960s and 1970s road movies, rock music is often used (e.g., ''

Easy Rider ''Easy Rider'' is a 1969 American independent drug culture road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda, and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American So ...

'' from 1969 used a rock soundtrack of songs from Jimi Hendrix,

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

and Steppenwolf). While early road movies from the 1930s focused on heterosexual couples, in post-World War II films, usually the travellers are male buddies, although in some cases, women are depicted on the road, either as temporary companions, or more rarely, as the protagonist couple (e.g., ''

Thelma & Louise ''Thelma & Louise'' is a 1991 American road crime comedy-drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri. It stars Susan Sarandon as Louise and Geena Davis as Thelma, two friends who embark on a road trip that ends up in unfores ...

'' from 1991). The genre can also be parodied, or have protagonists that depart from the typical heterosexual couple or buddy paradigm, as with ''

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' is a 1994 Australian road comedy film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot follows two drag queens, played by Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce, and a transgender woman, played by Tere ...

'' (1994), which depicts a group of

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...

s who tour the Australian desert. Other examples of the increasing diversity of the drivers shown in 1990s and subsequent decades' road films are ''

The Living End The Living End are an Australian punk rockabilly band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals), and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 199 ...

'' (1992), about two gay, HIV-positive men on a road trip; ''

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar ''To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar'' is a 1995 American road comedy film directed by Beeban Kidron and starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo as three New York City drag queens who embark on a road trip. ...

'' (1995), which is about drag queens, and '' Smoke Signals'' (1998), which is about two Indigenous men. While rare, there are some road movies about large groups on the road (''

Get on the Bus ''Get on the Bus'' is a 1996 American drama film about a group of African-American men who are taking a cross-country bus trip in order to participate in the Million Man March. The film was directed by Spike Lee and premiered on the first anniver ...

'' from 1996) and lone drivers (''

Vanishing Point A vanishing point is a point on the image plane of a perspective drawing where the two-dimensional perspective projections of mutually parallel lines in three-dimensional space appear to converge. When the set of parallel lines is perpendicul ...

'' from 1971).

Genre and production elements

The road movie has been called an elusive and ambiguous film genre. Timothy Corrigan states that road movies are a "knowingly impure" genre as they have "overdetermined and built-in genre-blending tendencies".Orgeron, Devin. ''Road Movies: From Muybridge and Méliès to Lynch and Kiarostami''. Springer, 2007. p. 3 Devin Orgeron states that road movies, despite their literal focus on car trips, are "about the istory ofthe cinema, about the culture of the image", with road movies created with a mixture of Classical Hollywood film genres. The road movie genre developed from a "constellation of “solid” modernity, combining locomotion and media-motion" to get "away from the sedentarising forces of modernity and produc contingency". Road movies are blended with other genres to create a number of subgenres, including: road horror (e.g., ''

Near Dark NEAR or Near may refer to: People * Thomas J. Near, US evolutionary ichthyologist * Near, a developer who created the higan emulator Science, mathematics, technology, biology, and medicine * National Emergency Alarm Repeater (NEAR), a forme ...

'' from 1987); road comedies (e.g., '' Flirting with Disaster'' from 1996); road racing films (e.g., ''

Death Race 2000 ''Death Race 2000'' is a 1975 American science fiction action film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transco ...

'' from 1975) and rock concert tour films (e.g., ''

Almost Famous ''Almost Famous'' is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe, and starring Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, and Patrick Fugit. It tells the story of a teenage journalist writing for ''Rolling Stone ...

'' from 2000). Film noir road movies include ''

Detour __NOTOC__ A detour or (British English: diversion) is a (normally temporary) route taking traffic around an area of prohibited or reduced access, such as a construction site. Standard operating procedure for many roads departments is to route an ...

'' (1945), '' Desperate'', ''

The Devil Thumbs a Ride ''The Devil Thumbs a Ride'' is a 1947 film noir directed by Felix E. Feist and featuring Lawrence Tierney and Ted North. Plot Steve Morgan (Tierney) is a charming sociopath who has just robbed and killed a cinema cashier. Seeking to escape, he ...

'' (1947) and ''

The Hitch-Hiker ''The Hitch-Hiker'' is a 1953 American film noir thriller co-written and directed by Ida Lupino, starring Edmond O'Brien, William Talman and Frank Lovejoy, about two friends taken hostage by a hitchhiker during an automobile trip to Mexico. ...

'' (1953), all of which "establish fear and suspense around hitchhiking", and the outlaw-themed film noirs '' They Live by Night'' (1948) and ''

Gun Crazy ''Gun Crazy'' (also known as ''Deadly Is the Female'') is a 1950 American crime film noir starring Peggy Cummins and John Dall in a story about the crime-spree of a gun-toting husband and wife. It was directed by Joseph H. Lewis, and produced ...

''. Film noir-influenced road films continued in the neo noir era, with '' The Hitcher'' (1986), ''

Delusion A delusion is a false fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or som ...

'' (1991), ''

Red Rock West ''Red Rock West'' is a 1993 American neo-noir thriller film directed by John Dahl and starring Nicolas Cage, Lara Flynn Boyle, J. T. Walsh, and Dennis Hopper. It was written by Dahl and his brother Rick, and shot in Montana, Willcox, Arizona, S ...

'' (1992), and '' Joy Ride'' (2001). Even though road movies are a significant and popular genre, it is an "overlooked strain of film history". Major genre studies often do not examine road movies, and there has been little analysis of what qualifies as a road movie.Cohan, Steven and Hark, Ina Rae. "Introduction". ''The Road Movie Book''. Eds. Cohan, Steven and Hark, Ina Rae. Routledge, 2002. p. 2

Country or region of production

United States

The road movie is mostly associated with the United States, as it focuses on "peculiarly American dreams, tensions and anxieties". US road movies examine the tension between the two foundational myths of American culture, which are individualism and populism, which leads to some road films depicting the open road as a "utopian fantasy" with a homogenous culture while others show it as a "dystopian nightmare" of extreme cultural differences.Cohan, Steven and Hark, Ina Rae. "Introduction". ''The Road Movie Book''. Eds. Cohan, Steven and Hark, Ina Rae. Routledge, 2002. p. 3 US road movies depict the wide open, vast spaces of the highways as symbolizing the "scale and notionally utopian" opportunities to move up upwards and outwards in life. Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable in It Happened One Night film trailer

Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable in It Happened One Night film trailer

In US road movies, the road is an "alternative space" where the characters, now set apart from conventional society, can experience transformation. For example, in ''

It Happened One Night ''It Happened One Night'' is a 1934 pre-Code American romantic comedy film with elements of screwball comedy directed and co-produced by Frank Capra, in collaboration with Harry Cohn, in which a pampered socialite ( Claudette Colbert) tr ...

'' (1934), a wealthy woman who goes on the road is liberated from her elite background and marriage to an immoral husband when she meets and experiences hospitality from regular, good-hearted Americans who she never would have met in her previous life, with middle America depicted as a utopia of "real community". The scenes in road movies tend to elicit longing for a mythic past. American road movies have tended to be a white genre, with

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

's ''

'' (1996) being a notable exception, as its main characters are African-American men on a bus travelling to the

Million Man March The Million Man March was a large gathering of African-American men in Washington, D.C., on October 16, 1995. Called by Louis Farrakhan, it was held on and around the National Mall. The National African American Leadership Summit, a leadin ...

(the film depicts the historic role of buses in the US civil rights movement). Asian-American filmmakers have used the road movie to examine the role and treatment of Asian-Americans in the United States; examples include

Wayne Wang Wayne Wang (; born January 12, 1949) is a Hong Kong–American director, producer, and screenwriter. Considered a pioneer of Asian-American cinema, he was one of the first Chinese-American filmmakers to gain a major foothold in Hollywood ...

's ''

Chan Is Missing ''Chan Is Missing'' is a 1982 American independent comedy-drama film produced and directed by Wayne Wang. The film, which is shot in black and white, is plotted as a mystery with noir undertones, and its title is a play on the Charlie Chan f ...

'' (1982), about a taxi driver trying to find about the Hollywood detective character

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alter ...

, and

Abraham Lim Abraham Lincoln Lim is an American film director and actor. Early life and education Lim attended the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, where he completed his BFA and an MFA in film. He grew up in Overland Park, Kansas in the 1970 ...

's '' Roads and Bridges'' (2001), about an Asian-American prisoner who is sentenced to clean up garbage along a Midwestern highway.Swirski, Peter. ''All Roads Lead to the American City''. Hong Kong University Press, 2007, p. 28

Australia

Australia's vast open spaces and concentrated population have made the road movie a key genre in that country, with films such as George Miller's

Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic action film series and media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with '' Mad Max'', and was followed by three sequels: ''Mad Max 2'' (1981, released in the Unite ...

films, which were rooted in an Australian tradition for films with " dystopian and noir themes with the destructive power of cars and the country’s harsh, sparsely populated land mass". Australian road movies have been described as having a dystopian or gothic tone, as the road the characters travel on is often a "dead end", with the journey being more about "inward-looking" exploration than reaching the intended location.Khoo, Olivia; Smaill, Belinda; Yue, Audrey. "The Global Back of Beyond: Ethics and the Australian Road Movie". In ''Transnational Australian Cinema: Ethics in the Asian Diasporas'', p. 93-106. Lexington Books, 2013 In Australia, road movies have been called a "complex metaphor" which refers to the country's history, current situation, and to anxieties about the future. The Mad Max films, including ''

'', ''

The Road Warrior ''Mad Max 2'' (released as ''The Road Warrior'' in the United States) is a 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic action film directed by George Miller. It is the second installment in the ''Mad Max'' franchise, with Mel Gibson reprising his role a ...

'' and ''

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome ''Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'' is a 1985 Australian post-apocalyptic dystopian action film directed by George Miller and George Ogilvie and written by Miller and Terry Hayes. It stars Mel Gibson and Tina Turner in a story of a lone roving warr ...

'', "have become canonical for their dystopic reinvention of the outback as a post-human wasteland where survival depends upon manic driving skills". Mother Fish

Other Australian road movies include

Peter Weir Peter Lindsay Weir ( ; born August 21, 1944) is a retired Australian film director. He's known for directing films crossing various genres over forty years with films such as '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), ''Gallipoli'' (1981), ''Witness ...

's ''

The Cars That Ate Paris ''The Cars That Ate Paris'' is a 1974 Australian horror comedy film, produced by twin brothers Hal and Jim McElroy and directed by Peter Weir. It was his first feature film, and was also based on an original story he had written. Shot mostly i ...

'' (1974), about a small town where the inhabitants cause road accidents to salvage the vehicles; the biker film ''

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

'' (1974) by

Sandy Harbutt Sandy Harbutt (1941 – 21 November 2020) was an Australian actor, writer and director, best known for the bikie film, ''Stone'' (1974). Although it was very successful at the box office, it was the only feature he ever directed. He was once mar ...

, about a biker gang who witness a political cover-up murder; The (1981) thriller ''

Roadgames ''Roadgames'' (stylized as ''Road Games'') is a 1981 Australian thriller film directed by Richard Franklin and starring Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film follows a truck driver travelling across Australia who, along with the help of a ...

'' by Richard Franklin, about a truck driver who tracks down a serial killer in the Australian outback; '' Dead-end Drive-in'' (1986) by

Brian Trenchard-Smith Brian Medwin Trenchard-Smith (born 1946) is an English-Australian filmmaker and author, known for his idiosyncratic and satirical low-budget genre films. His filmography covers action, science fiction, martial arts, dystopian fiction, comedy, ...

, about a dystopian future where drive-in theatres are turned into detention centres; ''

Metal Skin ''Metal Skin'' is a 1994 Australian film written and directed by Geoffrey Wright, starring Aden Young, Tara Morice, Nadine Garner and Ben Mendelsohn. The film follows the lives of four adolescents in and around the blue-collar Melbourne suburb ...

'' (1994) by Geoffrey Wright about a street racer; and '' Kiss or Kill'' (1997) by

Bill Bennett William Richards Bennett, (April 14, 1932 – December 3, 2015) was the 27th premier of British Columbia from 1975 to 1986. He was a son of Annie Elizabeth May (Richards) and former Premier, W. A. C. Bennett. He was a 3rd cousin, twice removed ...

, a film noir-style road movie. ''

'' (1994) has been called a "watershed gay road movie that addresses diversity in Australia".''

Walkabout Walkabout is a rite of passage in Australian Aboriginal society, during which males undergo a journey during adolescence, typically ages 10 to 16, and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months to make the spiritual and traditiona ...

'' (1971), '' Backroads'' (1977), and ''

Rabbit-Proof Fence The State Barrier Fence of Western Australia, formerly known as the Rabbit-Proof Fence, the State Vermin Fence, and the Emu Fence, is a pest-exclusion fence constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits, and other agricultural pests from th ...

'' (2002) use a depiction of travelling through the Australian outback to address the issue of relations between white and Indigenous people. In 2005, Fiona Probyn described a subgenre of road movies about Indigenous Australians that she called "No Road" movies, in that they typically do not show a vehicle travelling on an asphalt road; instead, these films depict travel on a trail, often with Indigenous trackers being shown using their tracking abilities to discern hard-to-detect clues on the trail. With the increasing depiction of racial minorities in Australian road movies, the "No Road" subgenre has also been associated with Asian-Australian films that depict travel using routes other than roads (e.g., the 2010 film ''

Mother Fish ''Mother Fish'', also known as ''Missing Water'', is a feature film written, produced and directed by Khoa Do. The film draws largely from Khoa Do's own experiences as a Vietnamese refugee, and reflects on the perceived fear in the general popula ...

'', which depicts travel over water as it tells the story of the

boat people Vietnamese boat people ( vi, Thuyền nhân Việt Nam), also known simply as boat people, refers to the refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. This migration and humanitarian crisis was at its h ...

refugees). The iconography of car crashes in many Australian road movies (particularly the Mad Max series) has been called a symbol of white-Indigenous violence, a rupture point in the narrative which erases and forgets the history of this violence.

Canada

Canada also has huge expanses of territory, which make the road movie also common in that country, where the genre is used to examine "themes of alienation and isolation in relation to an expansive, almost foreboding landscape of seemingly endless space", and explore how Canadian identity differs from the "less humble and self-conscious neighbours to the south", in United States. Canadian road films include Donald Shebib's ''

Goin' Down the Road ''Goin' Down the Road'' is a 1970 Canadian film directed by Donald Shebib, co-written by William Fruet and Donald Shebib. It tells the story of two young men who decide to leave the Maritimes, where jobs and fulfilling lives are hard to find, fo ...

'' (1970), three Bruce McDonald films ('' Roadkill'' (1989), '' Highway 61'' (1991), and '' Hard Core Logo'' (1996), a mockumentary about a punk rock band's road tour),

Malcolm Ingram Malcolm "Mo" Ingram (born 1968) is a Canadian independent film director and podcaster. Directing Ingram wrote and directed '' Drawing Flies'', which was produced by Scott Mosier and Kevin Smith of View Askew Productions. He also made '' Tail ...

's '' Tail Lights Fade'' (1999) and Gary Burns' '' The Suburbanators'' (1995). David Cronenberg's ''

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...

'' (1996) depicted drivers who get "perverse sexual arousal through the car crash experience", a subject matter which led to

Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he fo ...

lobbying against the film being shown in US theatres. Asian-Canadian filmmakers have made road films about the experience of Canadians of Asian origin, such as

Ann Marie Fleming Ann Marie Fleming is an independent Canadian filmmaker, writer, and visual artist. She was born in Okinawa, USCAR (nowadays Japan), in 1962 and is of Chinese, Ryukyuan and Australian descent. Her film '' Window Horses'' was released in 2016. ...

's '' The Magical Life of Long Tak Sam'', which is about her search for her "Chinese grandfather, an itinerant magician and acrobat". Other Asian-Canadian road movies look at their relatives experiences during the 1940s internment of Japanese Canadians by the Canadian government (e.g., Lise Yasui's ''

Family Gathering ''Family Gathering'' is a 1988 American short documentary film by Lise Yasui, exploring three generations of her Japanese-American family, from their immigration to Oregon in the early 20th century through their imprisonment in internment camps ...

'' (1988),

Rea Tajiri Rea Tajiri is a Japanese American video artist, filmmaker and screenwriter, known for her personal essay film '' History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige'' (1991). Early life Tajiri was born in 1958 in Chicago, Illinois. Tajiri's father, Vin ...

's '' History and Memory'' (1991) and Janet Tanaka's '' Memories from the Department of Amnesia'' (1991).

Europe

European filmmakers of road movies appropriate the conventions established by American directors, while at the same time reformulating these approaches, by de-emphasizing the speed of the driver on the road, increasing the amount of introspection (often on themes such as national identity), and depicting the road trip as a search on the part of the characters. The German filmmaker Wim Wenders explored the American themes of road movies through his European reference point in his

Road Movie trilogy The Road Movie Trilogy (also known as The Road Trilogy) is a series of three road movies directed by German film director Wim Wenders in the mid-1970s: ''Alice in the Cities'' (1974), ''The Wrong Move'' (1975), and ''Kings of the Road'' (1976). A ...

in the mid-1970s. They include ''

Alice in the Cities ''Alice in the Cities'' (german: Alice in den Städten) is a 1974 German road movie directed by Wim Wenders. It is the first part of Wenders' "Road Movie trilogy", which also includes '' The Wrong Move'' (1975) and '' Kings of the Road'' (1976). ...

'' (1974), '' The Wrong Move'' (1975), and ''

Kings of the Road ''Kings of the Road'' (german: Im Lauf der Zeit, "in the course of time") is a 1976 German road movie directed by Wim Wenders. It was the third part of Wenders' "Road Movie trilogy" which included ''Alice in the Cities'' (1974) and '' The Wrong Mo ...

'' (1976). All three films were shot by cinematographer

Robby Müller Robby Müller, NSC, BVK, (4 April 1940 – 3 July 2018) was a Dutch cinematographer. Known for his use of natural light and minimalist imagery, Müller first gained recognition for his contributions to West German cinema through his acclaimed c ...

and mostly take place in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

. ''Kings of the Road'' includes stillness, which is unusual for road movies, and quietness (except for the rock soundtrack). Other road movies by Wenders include ''

Paris, Texas Paris is a city and county seat of Lamar County, Texas, United States. Located in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods, the population of the city was 24,171 in 2020. History Present-day Lamar County was part of Red River ...

'' and ''

Until the End of the World ''Until the End of the World'' (german: Bis ans Ende der Welt; french: Jusqu'au bout du monde) is a 1991 science fiction adventure drama film directed by German filmmaker Wim Wenders. Set at the turn of the millennium in the shadow of a world ...

''.Cohen, Steven and Hark, Ina Rae. "Introduction". ''The Road Movie Book''. Eds. Cohan, Steven and Hark, Ina Rae. Routledge, 2002. p. 10 Wender's road movies "filter nomadic excursions through a pensive Germanic lens" and depict "somber drifters coming to terms with their internal scars". France has a road movie tradition than stretches from

Bertrand Blier Bertrand Blier (; born 14 March 1939) is a French film director and writer. His 1978 film '' Get Out Your Handkerchiefs'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 51st Academy Awards. He is the son of famous French actor Bern ...

's ''

Les Valseuses ''Going Places'' is a 1974 French comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Bertrand Blier, and based on his own novel. Its original title is ''Les Valseuses'', which translates into English as "the waltzers" , a vulgar French slang term for "th ...

'' (1973) and Agnès Varda's '' Sans toit ni loi'' (about a homeless woman) to 1990s films such as ''

Merci la vie Merci is a French word meaning "thank you". Merci may refer to: ;in music * Merci (Alpha Blondy album), ''Merci'' (Alpha Blondy album), 2002 * Merci (Florent Pagny album), ''Merci'' (Florent Pagny album), 1990 * Merci (Magma album), ''Merci'' (Mag ...

'' (1991) and

Virginie Despentes Virginie Despentes (; born 13 June 1969) is a French writer, novelist, and filmmaker. She is known for her work exploring gender, sexuality, and people who live in poverty or other marginalised conditions. Work Despentes' work is an inventory of ...

and

Coralie Trinh Thi Coralie Trinh Thi (born 11 April 1976) is a former pornographic actress, also known for writing and directing with Virginie Despentes the film ''Baise-moi'' (2000). During her career as a porn performer, she was generally just credited as Coral ...

's ''

Baise-moi ''Baise-moi'' is a 2000 French crime thriller film written and directed by Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi and starring Karen Lancaume and Raffaëla Anderson. It is based on the novel by Despentes, first published in 1993. The film rece ...

'' (a controversial film about two women revenging a rape), to 2000s films such as

Laurent Cantet Laurent Cantet (; born 11 April 1961) is a French director, cinematographer and screenwriter. His film ''Entre les murs'' ('' The Class'') won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008. Biography Laurent Cantet was born in 1961 in the town ...

's ''

L'emploi du temps ''Time Out'' (french: link=no, L'Emploi du temps or 'Le Vendu') is a 2001 French drama film directed by Laurent Cantet and starring Aurélien Recoing and Karin Viard. The film is loosely based on the life story of Jean-Claude Romand (though wi ...

'' (2001) and

Cédric Kahn Cédric Kahn (; born 17 June 1966) is a French screenwriter, film director and actor. His films include ''L'Ennui'' (1998), based on the Alberto Moravia novel ''Boredom'', and '' Red Lights'' (2004), based on the Georges Simenon novel. His film '' ...

's ''

Feux rouges ''Red Lights'' (french: Feux rouges) is a 2004 French Thriller (genre), thriller film directed by Cédric Kahn. It was adapted from the Red Lights (novel), eponymous 1955 Georges Simenon Red Lights (novel), novel set in the Northeastern United Sta ...

'' (2004). While French road movies share the US road movie's focus on the theme of individual freedom, French movies also balance this value with equality and fraternity, according to the French Republican model of liberty-equality-fraternity. Neil Archer states that French and other Francophone (e.g., Belgium, Switzerland) road films focus on "displacement and identity", notably in regards to maghrebin immigrants and young people (e.g.,

Yamina Benguigui Yamina Benguigui (born Yamina Zora Belaïdi; in Lille on 9 April 1955) is a French film director and politician of Algerian descent. She is known for her films on gender issues in the North African (both Berbers and Arabs) immigrant community in ...

's ''

Inch'Allah Dimanche ''Inch'Allah Dimanche'' ( ar, إن شاء الله الأحد, en, Sunday God Willing) is a 2001 French/Algerian movie by Yamina Benguigui about the life of an Algerian immigrant woman in France. Though this is Beguigui's first feature-length ...

'' (2001),

Ismaël Ferroukhi Ismaël Ferroukhi (born 26 June 1962) is a French- Moroccan film director and screenwriter. Ferroukhi was born in Kenitra. He gained exposure with his 1992 short film ''L'Exposé'', which won the Kodak Prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. Foll ...

's '' La Fille de Keltoum'' (2001) and

Tony Gatlif Tony Gatlif (born as Michel Dahmani on 10 September 1948 in Algiers) is a French film director of Romani ethnicity who also works as a screenwriter, composer, actor, and producer. Personal Gatlif was born in Algeria of Pied noir ancestry. A ...

's ''

Exils ''Exiles'' is a 2004 French film by Tony Gatlif. The film follows two young bohemians, Zano and Naima. After having sex, the two spontaneously decide that they will travel to Algeria, where Naima's parents come from, and where Zano's (Romain Duri ...

'' (2004).Archer, Neil. ''THE FRENCH ROAD MOVIE: Space, Mobility, Identity''. Berghahn Books. p. 3 More broadly, European films are tending to use imagery of border-crossing and focusing on "marginal identities and economic migration", which can be seen in

Lukas Moodysson Karl Fredrik Lukas Moodysson (; born 17 January 1969) is a Swedish novelist, short story writer and film director. First coming to prominence as an ambitious poet in the 1980s, he had his big domestic and international breakthrough directing the ...

's ''

Lilja 4-ever ''Lilya 4-ever'' ( sv, Lilja 4-ever) is a 2002 crime drama film written and directed by Lukas Moodysson, which was released in Sweden on 23 August 2002. It depicts the downward spiral of Lilja Michailova, played by Oksana Akinshina, a girl in t ...

'' (2002), Michael Winterbottom's ''

In This World ''In This World'' is a 2002 British docudrama directed by Michael Winterbottom. The film follows two young Afghan refugees, Jamal Udin Torabi and Enayatullah, as they leave a refugee camp in Pakistan for a better life in London. Since their jour ...

'' (2002) and

Ulrich Seidl Ulrich Maria Seidl (born 24 November 1952 in Vienna) is an Austrian film director, writer and producer. Among other awards, his film ''Dog Days'' won the Grand Jury Prize at Venice in 2001. His 2012 film '' Paradise: Love'' competed for the Palme ...

's '' Import/Export'' (2007). European road movies also examine

post-colonialism Postcolonialism is the Critical theory, critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands. More speci ...

, "disclocation, memory and identity". Road movies from Spain have a strong American influence, with the films incorporating the road movie-comedy genre hybrid made popular in US films such as

Peter Farrelly Peter John Farrelly (born December 17, 1956) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and novelist. Along with his brother Bobby, the Farrelly brothers are mostly famous for directing and producing quirky comedy and romantic comedy ...

's ''

Dumb and Dumber ''Dumb and Dumber'' is a 1994 American buddy comedy film directed by Peter Farrelly, who cowrote the screenplay with Bobby Farrelly and Bennett Yellin. It is the first installment in the ''Dumb and Dumber'' franchise. Starring Jim Carrey a ...

'' (1994). Spanish films including '' Los anos barbaros'', '' Carretera y manta'', ''

Trileros ''Trileros'' is a 2003 Spanish comedy film directed by Antonio del Real and starring Juanjo Puigcorbé, Carlos Castel and Juan Echanove Juan Echanove Labanda (born 1 April 1961, in Madrid) is a Spanish actor. At Gijón International Film Fes ...

'', ''

Al final del Camino AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

'', and '' Airbag'', which has been called the "most successful Spanish road movie of all time". ''Airbag'', along with ''

Slam Slam, SLAM or SLAMS may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional elements * S.L.A.M. (Strategic Long-Range Artillery Machine), a fictional weapon in the ''G.I. Joe'' universe * SLAMS (Space-Land-Air Missile Shield), a fictional anti-ball ...

'' (2003), ''

El mundo alrededor EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

'' (2006) and '' Los managers'', are examples of Spanish road films that, like US movies such as '' Road Trip'', uses the "road movie genre as a narrative framework for...gross-out sex comedy". The director of ''Airbag'',

Juanma Bajo Ulloa Juan Manuel Bajo Ulloa (born 1 January 1967) is a Spanish film director. Biography Juanma Bajo Ulloa was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, on 1 January 1967. His parents mortgaged their house to fund Bajo Ulloa's film beginnings. His first feat ...

, states that he aimed to make fun of the road movie genre as established in North America, while still using the metamorphosis through road trip narrative that is popular in the genre (in this case, the main male character rejects his upper class girlfriend in favour of a prostitute he meets on the road).Eraso, Carmen Indurain. "The Transnational Dimension of Contemporary Spanish Road Movies" in ''Global Genres, Local Films: The Transnational Dimension of Spanish Cinema''. Oliete-Aldea, Elena; Oria, Beatriz; and Tarancón Juan A, eds. Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2015. p. 145-6 ''Airbag'' also uses Spanish equivalents to the stock road movie setting and iconography, depicting "deserts, casinos and road clubs" and use the road movie action sequences (chases, car explosions, and crashes) that remind the viewer of similar work by

Tony Scott Anthony David Leighton Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) was an English film director and producer. He was known for directing highly successful action and thriller films such as '' Top Gun'' (1986), '' Beverly Hills Cop II'' (1987), ''D ...

and Oliver Stone. A second subtype of Spanish road movies is more influenced by the female road movies from the US, such as

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...

's '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (1974), Jonathan Demme's ''

Crazy Mama ''Crazy Mama'' is a 1975 American action comedy film directed by Jonathan Demme, produced by Julie Corman and starring Cloris Leachman. It marked the film debut of Bill Paxton and Dennis Quaid. Plot In 1958 Long Beach, California, Melba Stoke ...

'' (1975), Ridley Scott's ''

'' (1991), and

Herbert Ross Herbert David Ross (May 13, 1927 – October 9, 2001) was an American actor, choreographer, director and producer who worked predominantly in theater and film. He was nominated for two Academy Awards and a Tony Award. He is known for directing ...

' ''

Boys on the Side '' Boys on the Side '' is a 1995 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross (in his final film as a director). It stars Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore, and Mary-Louise Parker as three friends on a cross-country road trip. The screenp ...

'' (1995), in that they show a "less traditional" and more "visible, innovative, introspective, and realistic" type of woman onscreen. Spanish road movies about women include '' Hola, estas, sola'', ''

Lisboa Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

'', '' Fugitivas'', '' Retorno a Hansala'', and ''

Sin Dejar Huella ''Without a Trace'' ( es, Sin Dejar Huella, also known as ''Leaving No Trace'') is a 2000 Mexican film directed by Maria Novaro and starring Tiaré Scanda, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Jesús Ochoa, José Sefamí, Martín Altomaro, Juan Manuel Bern ...

'' address social issues about women, such as the "injustice and mistreatment" that women experience under "authoritarian patriarchal order." ''Fugitivas'' depicts an American road movie genre convention: the "disintegration of the family and the community" and the "journey of transformation", as it depicts two fugitives on the run, whose distrust fades as the two women learn to trust each other from their adventures on the road. The images in the film are blend of homage to US road movie conventions (gas stations, billboards) and "recognizable Spanish types", such as the "embittered drunkard". Other European road films include Ingmar Bergman's '' Wild Strawberries'' (1957), about an old professor travelling the roads of Sweden and picking up hitchhikers and Jean-Luc Godard's '' Pierrot le fou'' (1965) about law-breaking lovers escaping on the road. Both of these films, as well as

Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such ...

's '' Voyage in Italy'' (1953) and Godard's '' Weekend'' (1967) have more "existential sensibility" or pauses for "philosophical digressions of a European bent", as compared with American road films. ''

Three Men and a Leg ''Three Men and a Leg'' ( it, Tre uomini e una gamba) is a 1997 Italian road film and romantic comedy co-written and co-directed by the comedy trio Aldo, Giovanni & Giacomo and by Massimo Venier. Plot Three friends – Aldo, Giovanni, and Giacomo ...

'' (1997) features several sketches from filmmakers and producers'

Aldo, Giovanni & Giacomo Aldo, Giovanni & Giacomo are an Italian trio of comedians, actors, directors and screenwriters, composed of Aldo Baglio (; born 28 September 1958), Giovanni Storti (; born 20 February 1957) and Giacomo Poretti (; born 26 April 1956). Perfo ...

's previous comedy productions overlaid with the rest of the movie's road-trip and

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

atmosphere. Other European road films include

Chris Petit Chris Petit (born 17 June 1949) is an English novelist and filmmaker. During the 1970s he was Film Editor for ''Time Out'' and wrote in ''Melody Maker''. His first film was the cult British road movie ''Radio On'', while his 1982 film ''An Unsui ...

's ''

Radio On ''Radio On'' is a 1979 film directed by Christopher Petit. It is a rare example of a British road movie, shot in black and white by Wim Wenders' assistant cameraman Martin Schäfer and featuring music from a number of new wave bands of the ...

'' (1979), a Wim Wenders-influenced film set on the M4 motorway; Aki Kaurismäki's ''

Leningrad Cowboys Go America ''Leningrad Cowboys Go America'' is a 1989 road movie by Finnish film director Aki Kaurismäki about the adventures of the Leningrad Cowboys, an eccentric band that travels to the United States to become successful, and combines their brand of ...

'' ( 1989), about a fictional Russian rock band which travels to the US; and

Theo Angelopoulos Theodoros "Theo" Angelopoulos (; ; 27 April 1935 – 24 January 2012) was a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer. He dominated the Greek art film industry from 1975 on, and Angelopoulos was one of the most influential and widely re ...

' '' Landscape in the Mist'', about a road trip from Greece to Germany.

Latin and South America

Road movies made in Latin America are similar in feel to European road films. Latin American road movies are usually about a cast of characters, rather than a couple or single person, and the films explore the differences between urban and rural regions and between north and south.

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

's '' Subida al Cielo'' (''Mexican Bus Ride'', 1951), is about a poor rural person's trip into a big city to help his mother, who is dying. The road trip on this film is shown as a "carnivalesque pilgrimage" or "travelling circus", an approach also used in ''

Bye Bye Brazil ''Bye Bye Brazil'' ( pt, Bye Bye Brasil) is a 1979 Brazilian-French-Argentine film, directed by Carlos Diegues. Locations for the film include Belém and Altamira in the state of Pará, Maceió, the capital of Alagoas state, and the national capi ...

'' (1979, Brazil), ''

Guantanamera "Guantanamera" (; Spanish: (the woman) from Guantánamo) is perhaps the best-known Cuban song and that country's most-noted patriotic song, especially when using a poem by the Cuban poet José Martí for the lyrics. The official writing credi ...

'' (1995, Cuba), and ''

Central do Brasil Central do Brasil () is a major train station in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. It is the last stop of Rio's railway network, as well as a hub for connection with the city subway and a bus station. Central do Brasil was also a preemine ...

'' (''Central Station'', 1998, Brazil). Some Latin American road movies are also set in the era of conquest, such as ''

Cabeza de Vaca In Mexican cuisine, ''cabeza'' (''lit.'' 'head') is the meat from a roasted head of an animal, served as taco A taco (, , ) is a traditional Mexican food consisting of a small hand-sized corn- or wheat-based tortilla topped with a filling ...

'' (1991, Mexico). Movies about outlaws escaping from justice include '' Profundo Carmesí'' (''Deep Crimson'', 1996, Mexico) and ''El Camino'' (''The Road'', 2000, Argentina). ''

Y tu mamá también Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...

'' (''And Your Mother Too'', 2001, Mexico) is about two young male buddies who have sexual adventures on the road.

Russia and countries of the former USSR

Movies involving road movie genre while being rejected by mainstream media, gained huge popularity in Russian ''art cinema'' and surrounding post-Soviet cultures, slowly building their way into international film festivals. Well-known examples are ''

My Joy ''My Joy'' (russian: Счастье моё) is a 2010 internationally co-produced Russian-language road film directed by Sergei Loznitsa. It is set in the western regions of Russia, somewhere near Smolensk. ''My Joy'' was the first Ukrainian fi ...

'' (2010), '' Bummer'' (2003), '' Major'' (2013), and '' How Vitka Chesnok Took Lyokha Shtyr to the Home for Invalids'' (2017). Some other movies incorporate a large portion of road movie style, for example ''

Morphine Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a pain medication, and is also commonly used recreationally, or to make other illicit opioids. T ...

'' (2008), ''

Leviathan Leviathan (; he, לִוְיָתָן, ) is a sea serpent noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Amos, and, according to some ...

'' (2014), '' Cargo 200'' (2007), ''

Donbass The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...

'' (2018). With themes ranging from crime, corruption and power to history, addiction and existence, road movies became an independent part of cinematic landscape. From the strong flow of existentialism, to the

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

style, the road movie experienced a new revival. Most precious are pieces from

Sergei Loznitsa Sergei Vladimirovich Loznitsa ( be, Сяргей Уладзіміравіч Лазніца, russian: Сергей Владимирович Лозница, uk, Сергій Володимирович Лозниця; born 5 September 1964) is a Uk ...

, in his early work ''

'' (2010) he used black noir style to tell the story of people falling together with destruction of governments after the fall of the Soviet Union. In his later work ''

'' (2018), he takes an opposing style, turning to black comedy and satire to underline actual war tragedies in the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since February 2014. Following Ukraine's Rev ...

India

Indian screens saw a series of road movies with experimental filmmaker

Ram Gopal Varma Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Kannada language films, and television.** * ...

's works such as ''

Kshana Kshanam ''Kshana Kshanam'' () is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language road thriller and heist film written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film stars Venkatesh, Sridevi, Paresh Rawal, and Rami Reddy. The plot follows Satya (Sridevi), a young woman who is ...

''.

Rachel Dwyer Rachel Dwyer is a professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at SOAS, University of London. Life Dwyer took her BA in Sanskrit at SOAS, followed by an MPhil in General Linguistics and Comparative Philology at the University of Oxford. Her PhD resear ...

, a reader in ''world cinema'' at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

-Department of South Asia, marked Varma's contribution into the new-age film noir. The film received critical reception at the

Ann Arbor Film Festival The Ann Arbor Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Ann Arbor in the U.S. state of Michigan. Established in 1963, it is the fourth-oldest film festival in North America (after the Yorkton Film Festival, 1947; Columbus International Film ...

, which led to a series of genre-benders like

Mani Ratnam Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six ...

's ''

Thiruda Thiruda ''Thiruda Thiruda'' () is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language black comedy caper film directed by Mani Ratnam written along with Ram Gopal Varma. The film stars Prashanth, Anand, Anu Aggarwal and Heera Rajagopal while S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and Salim ...

'', and Varma's '' Daud'', ''

Anaganaga Oka Roju ''Anaganaga Oka Roju'' () is a 1997 Indian Telugu-language comedy film written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film stars J. D. Chakravarthy and Urmila Matondkar in lead roles. Raghuvaran, Brahmanandam and Kota Srinivasa Rao play other p ...

'' and ''

Road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

''. Subsequently 21st century

bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

movies witnessed a surge of motion-pictures such as ''

Road, Movie ''Road, Movie'' ( hi, रोड, मूवी) is a 2009 Indian road movie directed by Dev Benegal, and starring Abhay Deol, Tannishtha Chatterjee, and Satish Kaushik. It premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and opened the se ...

'', nominated for the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix Award, the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...

, and the Generation 14plus at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival in 2010. '' Liars Dice'' explores the story of a young mother from a remote village who, going in search of her missing husband, goes missing, the film examines the human cost of migration to cities and the exploitation of migrant workers. It was India's Official Entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

for the

87th Academy Awards The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2014 and took place on February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 ...

. It won special prize at

Sofia International Film Festival Sofia International Film Festival (SIFF) ( Bulgarian: ''Международен София Филм Фест, София Филм Фест''), also known as Sofia Film Fest, is an annual film festival in Sofia, capital city of Bulgaria, taking pl ...

. In Karwaan, the protagonist is forced to set out on a road trip from Bengaluru to

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

after he loses his father in an accident, but the body delivered to him is of the mother of a woman in another state. Ryan Gilbey of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' was broadly positive about

Zoya Akhtar Zoya Akhtar (born 14 October 1972) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. After completing a diploma in filmmaking from NYU, she assisted directors such as Mira Nair, Tony Gerber and Dev Benegal, before becomin ...

's ''

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara ''Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara'' (), also abbreviated as ''ZNMD'', is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language buddy road comedy drama film directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani under Excel Entertainment. The film features ...

''; he wrote, "It's still playing to full houses, and you can see why. Slick it may be. But tourist board employees representing the various

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

cities flattered in the movie are not the only ones who will come out grinning", and that he found the movie "stubbornly un-macho" for a buddy film. ''

Piku ''Piku'' is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by N. P. Singh, Ronnie Lahiri and Sneha Rajani. It stars Deepika Padukone as the titular protagonist, Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan Khan, with Mo ...

'' tells the story of the short-tempered Piku Banerjee (

Deepika Padukone Deepika Padukone ( or ; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in India, and her accolades include three Filmfare Awards. She features in listings of the nation's most po ...

), her grumpy, aging father Bhashkor ( Amitabh Bachchan) and Rana Chaudhary (

Irrfan Khan Irrfan Khan () (born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan; 7 January 196729 April 2020), also known simply as Irrfan, was an Indian actor who worked in Indian cinema as well as British and American films. Widely regarded as one of the finest actors in In ...

), who is stuck between the father-daughter duo, as they embark on a journey from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

. In

Nagesh Kukunoor Nagesh Kukunoor (born 30 March 1967) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and actor known for his works predominantly in Hindi cinema, and few Telugu language films. He is known for his works in parallel cinema, such as ''Hyderab ...

's children's film ''

Dhanak ''Dhanak'' () is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language children's road film written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. Produced by Manish Mundra, Nagesh Kukunoor, and Elahe Hiptoola, the film features Hetal Gada and Krrish Chhabria as the two children, pla ...

'' a blind kid and his sister set off alone on a 300 km journey traversing testing Indian terrain from Jaislamer to

Jodhpur Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the ...

, the film won the ''Crystal Bear Grand Prix'' for Best Children's Film, and Special Mention for the Best Feature Film by The Children's Jury for Generation Kplus at the

65th Berlin International Film Festival The 65th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 February 2015, with American film director Darren Aronofsky as the President of the Jury. German film director Wim Wenders was presented with the Honorary Golden Bear. The ...

Finding Fanny ''Finding Fanny'' is a 2014 Indian English- language satirical road film directed and written by Homi Adajania and produced by Dinesh Vijan under Maddock Films and presented by Fox Star Studios. Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, Pankaj Kap ...

'' is based on a road trip set in

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

and follows the journey of five dysfunctional friends who set out on a road trip in search of Fanny. '' The Good Road'' is told in a hyperlink format, where several stories are intertwined, with the center of the action being a highway in the rural lands of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

near a town in Kutch.

Africa

Several road movies have been produced in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, including '' Cocorico! Monsieur Poulet'' (1977,

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesThe Train of Salt and Sugar'' (2016,

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

); ''Hayat'' (2016,

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

); Touki Bouki (1973, Senegal) and ''Borders'' (2017,

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to ...

History

The genre has its roots in spoken and written tales of epic journeys, such as the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...

'' and the ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who fled the fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of th ...

''. The road film is a standard plot employed by screenwriters. It is a type of

bildungsroman In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age), in which character change is import ...

, a story in which the hero changes, grows or improves over the course of the story. It focuses more on the journey rather than the goal. David Laderman lists other literary influences on the road movie, such as ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

'' (1615), which uses a description of a journey to create social satire; ''

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' or as it is known in more recent editions, ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'', is a novel by American author Mark Twain, which was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United St ...

'' (1884), a story about a journey down the Mississippi River that is full of social commentary; '' Heart of Darkness'' (1902), about a journey down a river in the Belgian Congo to search for a rogue colonial trader; and ''

Women in Love ''Women in Love'' (1920) is a novel by English author D. H. Lawrence. It is a sequel to his earlier novel ''The Rainbow'' (1915) and follows the continuing loves and lives of the Brangwen sisters, Gudrun and Ursula. Gudrun Brangwen, an artist, ...

'' (1920), which describes "travel and mobility" while also providing social commentary about the woes of industrialization. Laderman states that ''Women in Love'' particularly lays the groundwork for the future road films, as it showed a couple who rebelled against social norms by leaving their familiar location and going on an aimless, meandering journey. Steinbeck's novel ''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Priz ...

'' (1939) depicts a family that struggles to survive on the road during the Great Depression, a book that has been called "America's best-known proletarian road saga". The movie version of the novel, made a year later, depicts the hungry, weary family's travel on Route 66 using "montage sequences, reflected images of the road on windshields and mirrors", and shots taken from the driver's point of view to create a sense of movement and place.Archer, Neil. ''The Road Movie: In Search of Meaning''. Columbia University Press, 2016. p. 15 Even though Henry Miller's ''

The Air-Conditioned Nightmare ''The Air-Conditioned Nightmare'' is a memoir written by Henry Miller, first published in 1945, about his year-long road trip across the United States in 1940, following his return from nearly a decade living in Paris. Background Miller was born ...

'' (1947) is not a fictional work, it captures the mood of frustration, restlessness and aimlessness that became prevalent in the road movie. In the book, which describe's Miller's cross-country journey across the United States, he criticizes the nation's descent into materialism. Western films such as

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

's '' Stagecoach'' (1939) have been called "proto-road movies."Archer, Neil. ''THE FRENCH ROAD MOVIE: Space, Mobility, Identity''. Berghahn Books. p. 5 In the film, an unusual group of travellers, including a banker, prostitute, escaped prisoner and a military officer's wife, move through the dangerous desert trails. Even though the travellers are so unlike each other, the mutual danger they must face in travelling through Geronimo's Apache territory requires them to work together to create a "utopia of...community". The difference between older stories about wandering characters and the road movie is technological: with road movies, the hero travels by car, motorcycle, bus or train, making road movies a representation of modernity's advantages and social ills. The on-the-road plot was used at the birth of American cinema but blossomed in the years after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, reflecting a boom in automobile production and the growth of youth culture. Early road movies have been criticized for their "casual misogyny", "fear of otherness", and for not examining issues such as power, privilege, and gender and for mostly showing white people. Grapes of Wrath, The - (Original Trailer) - 10

Grapes of Wrath, The - (Original Trailer) - 10

The road movie of the pre-WW II era was changed by the publication of Jack Kerouac's '' On the Road'' in 1957, as it sketched out the future for the road movie and provided its "master narrative" of exploration, questing, and journeying. The book includes many descriptions of driving in cars. It also depicted the character Sal Paradise, a middle class college student who goes on the road to seek material for his writing career, a bounded journey with a clear start and finish which differs from the open ended wandering of previous films, with characters making chance encounters with other drivers who influence where one travels or ends up. To contrast the intellectual Sal character, Kerouac has the juvenile delinquent Dean, a wild, fast-driving character who represents the idea that the road provides liberation. By depicting a movie character who was marginalized and who could not be incorporated into mainstream American culture, Kerouac opened the way for road movies to depict a more diverse range of characters, rather than just heterosexual couples (e.g., ''It Happened One Night''), groups on the move (e.g., ''The Grapes of Wrath''), notably the pair of male buddies. ''On the Road'' and another novel published in the same era,

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: link=no, Владимир Владимирович Набоков ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Bor ...

's novel '' Lolita'' (1955), have been called "two monumental road novels that rip back and forth across American with a subversive erotic charge." In the 1950s, there were "wholesome" road comedies such as

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

and Bing Crosby's ''

Road to Bali ''Road to Bali'' is a 1952 American comedy film directed by Hal Walker and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. Released by Paramount Pictures on November 19, 1952, the film is the sixth of the seven ''Road to …'' movies. It w ...

'' (1952),

Vincente Minnelli Vincente Minnelli (born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American stage director and film director. He directed the classic movie musicals '' Meet Me in St. Louis'' (1944), '' An American in Paris'' (1951), ' ...

's ''

The Long, Long Trailer ''The Long, Long Trailer'' is a 1954 American Anscocolor road comedy film based on a novel of the same name written by Clinton Twiss in 1951 about a couple who buy a new travel trailer home and spend a year traveling across the United States.''V ...

'' (1954) and the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis film '' Hollywood or Bust'' (1956). There were not many 1950s road films, but "postwar youth culture" was depicted in ''

The Wild One ''The Wild One'' is a 1953 American crime film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. The picture is most noted for the character of Johnny Strabler, portrayed by Marlon Brando, whose persona became a cultural icon of the 1 ...

'' (1953) and ''

Rebel Without a Cause ''Rebel Without a Cause'' is a 1955 American coming-of-age drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Filmed in the then recently introduced CinemaScope format and directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social com ...

'' (1955). Timothy Corrigan states that post-WW II, the genre of road films became more codified, with features solidifying such as the use of characters experiencing "amnesia, hallucinations and theatrical crisis". David Laderman states that road movies have a modernist aesthetic approach, as they focus on "rebellion, social criticism, and liberating thrills", which shows "disillusionment" with mainstream political and aesthetic norms. Awareness of the "road picture" as a separate genre came only in the 1960s with '' Bonnie and Clyde'' and ''

''. Road movies were an important genre in the late 1960s and 1970s era of the

New Hollywood The New Hollywood, also known as American New Wave or Hollywood Renaissance, was a movement in American film history from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, when a new generation of young filmmakers came to prominence. They influenced the types o ...

, with films such as

Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick (born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. His films include '' Days of Heaven'' (1978), '' The Thin Red Line'' (1998), for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenp ...

's ''

Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...

'' and

Richard Sarafian Richard Caspar Sarafian (April 28, 1930 – September 18, 2013) was an Armenian-American film director and actor. He compiled a versatile career that spanned over five decades as a director, actor, and writer. Sarafian is best known as the direct ...

's ''

'' (1971) showing an influence from ''Bonnie and Clyde''. There may have been influences from French cinema in the creation of ''Bonnie and Clyde''; David Newman and

Robert Benton Robert Douglas Benton (born September 29, 1932) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known as the writer and director of the film ''Kramer vs. Kramer'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Adapted S ...

have stated that they were influenced by Jean-Luc Godard's ''

A bout de souffle ''Breathless'' (french: À bout de souffle, lit=Out of Breath) is a 1960 French Crime film, crime drama film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. It stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as a wandering criminal named Michel, and Jean Seberg as his Americ ...

'' (1960) and François Truffaut's '' Tirez sur la pianiste'' (1960).Archer, Neil. ''THE FRENCH ROAD MOVIE: Space, Mobility, Identity''. Berghahn Books. p. 13 More generally, Devin Orgeron states that American road movies were based on post-WW II European cinema's own take on the American road film approach, showing a mutual influence between US and European filmmakers in this genre. The addition of violence to the sexual tension of road movies in the late 1960s and in subsequent decades can be seen as a way to create more excitement and "frisson". From the 1930s to 1960s, merely showing a man and woman on a road trip was exciting for audience, as all the motel stays and closeness had implied, yet deferred, consummation of the sexual attraction between the characters (sex could not be depicted due to the

Motion Picture Production Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the ...

). With ''Bonnie and Clyde'' (1967) and ''Natural Born Killers'' (1994), the heterosexual couple are united by their involvement in murder; as well, with jail hanging over their heads, there can be no return to domestic life at the end of the film. There have been three historical eras of the "outlaw-rebel" road movie: the post-WW II film noir era (e.g., ''

''), the late 1960s era which was rocked by the Vietnam War (''Easy Rider'' and ''Bonnie and Clyde''), and the post-Reagan era of the 1990s, when the "masculinist heroics of the Gulf War gave way to closer scrutiny" (''

My Own Private Idaho ''My Own Private Idaho'' is a 1991 American independent adventure drama film written and directed by Gus Van Sant, loosely based on Shakespeare's ''Henry IV, Part 1'', '' Henry IV, Part 2'', and ''Henry V''. The story follows two friends, Mike ...

'', ''

'' and ''

''). In the 1970s, there were low-budget outlaw films depicting chases, such as '' Eddie Macon's Run''. In the 1980s, there were rural Southern road movies such as ''

Smokey and the Bandit ''Smokey and the Bandit'' is a 1977 American road action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry. The directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham, the film follows ...

'' and the '' Cannonball Run'' chase films of 1981 and 1984. The outlaw couple movie was reinvented in the 1990s with a postmodernist take in films such as '' Wild at Heart'', ''

Kalifornia ''Kalifornia'' is a 1993 American road thriller film directed by Dominic Sena, in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny, and Michelle Forbes. The film tells the story of a journalist (Duchovny) a ...

'' and ''

True Romance ''True Romance'' is a 1993 American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. It features an ensemble cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, with Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt ...

''. While the first road movies described the discovery of new territories or pushing the boundaries of a nation, which was a core message of early Western films in the United States, road movies were later used to show how national identities were changing, such as which Edgar G. Ulmer’s ''Detour'' (1945), a film noir about a musician travelling from New York City to Hollywood who sees a nation absorbed by greed, or Dennis Hopper’s ''Easy Rider'', which showed how American society was transformed by the social and cultural trends of the late 1960s. The New Hollywood era films made use of the new film technologies in the road movie genre, such as "fast film stock" and lightweight cameras, as well as incorporating filmmaking approaches from European cinema, such as "elliptical narrative structure and self-reflexive devices, elusive development of alienated characters; bold traveling shots and montage sequences. Road movies have been called a post-WW II genre, as they track key post-war cultural trends, such as the breakup of the traditional family structure, in which male roles were destabilized; there is focus on menacing events which impact the characters who are on the move; there is an association between the character and the mode of transportation being used (e.g., a car or motorcycle), with the car symbolizing the self in the modern culture; and there is usually a focus on men, with women typically being excluded, creating a "male escapist fantasy linking masculinity to technology". Despite these examples of the post-WW II aspects of road movies, Cohan and Hark argue that road movies go back to the 1930s. In the 2000s, a new crop of road movies was produced, including

Vincent Gallo Vincent Gallo (born 1961) is an American actor and director. He has had supporting roles in films such as ''Arizona Dream'' (1993), ''The House of the Spirits'' (1993), ''Palookaville'' (1995), and '' The Funeral'' (1996). His lead roles include ...

's '' Brown Bunny'' (2003), Alexander Payne's ''

Sideways ''Sideways'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama road film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's 2004 novel of the same name, ''Sideways'' follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymo ...

'' (2004), Jim Jarmusch's '' Broken Flowers'' (2005) and Kelly Reichardt's ''

Old Joy ''Old Joy'' is a 2006 American road movie written and directed by Kelly Reichardt and based on a short story by Jonathan Raymond. The original soundtrack for the film is by Yo La Tengo and included on the compilation soundtrack album '' They Shoo ...

'' (2006) and scholars are taking more interest in examining the genre.Orgeron, Devin. ''Road Movies: From Muybridge and Méliès to Lynch and Kiarostami''. Springer, 2007. p. 8 The British Film Institute highlights ten post-2000 road films that show that " ere’s still plenty of gas left in the road movie genre". The BFI's top 10 include Andrea Arnold’s '' American Honey'' (2016), which used "mostly non-professional actors"; Alfonso Cuarón's ''

'' (2001), about Mexican teens on the road; The Brown Bunny (2003), which garnered publicity for its "infamous fellatio scene";

Walter Salles Walter Moreira Salles Júnior (; born 12 April 1956) is a Brazilian filmmaker. Early life Salles was born on 12 April 1956 in Rio de Janeiro and attended the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He is the son of Brazi ...

' '' The Motorcycle Diaries'' (2004), about Che Guevera's epic motorcycle trip;

Mark Duplass Mark David Duplass (born December 7, 1976) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and musician. With his brother Jay Duplass, he started the film production company Duplass Brothers Productions in 1996. Duplass has written and directed films, ...

and

Jay Duplass Lawrence Jay Duplass (born March 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker, actor and author widely known for his films '' The Puffy Chair'' (2005), ''Cyrus'' (2010), and ''Jeff, Who Lives at Home'' (2011), made in collaboration with his younger brother, ...

' ''

The Puffy Chair ''The Puffy Chair'' is a 2005 mumblecore road film written and directed by Jay and Mark Duplass. It stars Mark Duplass, Katie Aselton and Rhett Wilkins. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2005, and went on to ...

'' (2005), the "first

mumblecore Mumblecore is a subgenre of independent filmHoberman, J. (August 14, 2007).It's Mumblecore!. ''The Village Voice''. Retrieved on July 27, 2008.Lim, Dennis (August 19, 2007)Mumblecore – The New Talkies: Generation DIY ''The New York Times''. Ret ...

road movie"; '' Broken Flowers'' (2005);

Jonathan Dayton Jonathan Dayton (October 16, 1760October 9, 1824) was an American Founding Father and politician from the U.S. state of New Jersey. He was the youngest person to sign the Constitution of the United States and a member of the United States Hou ...

and

Valerie Faris Valerie may refer to: People *Saint Valerie (disambiguation), a number of saints went by the name Valerie *Valerie (given name), a feminine given name Songs *"Valerie", a 1981 song by Quarterflash, from ''Quarterflash'' *"Valerie", a 1982 son ...

' '' Little Miss Sunshine'' (2006), about a family's trip in a VW camper van; ''Old Joy'' (2006); Alexander Payne's ''

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

'' (2013), which depicts a father and son on a road trip; Steven Knight's '' Locke'' (2013), about a construction executive taking stressful calls on a road trip; and

Jafar Panahi Jafar Panâhi ( fa, جعفر پناهی, ; born 11 July 1960) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film editor, commonly associated with the Iranian New Wave film movement. After several years of making short films and working as an ass ...

's '' Taxi Tehran'' (2015), about a cab driver ferrying strange passengers around the city. Timothy Corrigan has called the postmodern road movie a "borderless refuse bin" of "

mise en abyme In Western art history, ''mise en abyme'' (; also ''mise en abîme'') is a formal technique of placing a copy of an image within itself, often in a way that suggests an infinitely recurring sequence. In film theory and literary theory, it refers ...

" reflection, reflecting a modern audience that is not able to think of a "naturalized history". Atkinson calls contemporary road movies an "ideogram of human desire and a last-ditch search for self" designed for an audience that was raised watching TV, particularly open-ended serial programs.

Movies of this genre

''Note, that the Country column is the country of origin and/or financing, and does not necessarily represent the country or countries depicted in each film.'' }) , , 2009 , , India , ,

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatr ...

Tribeca Film The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was fo ...

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Road to Morocco ''Road to Morocco'' is a 1942 American comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, and featuring Anthony Quinn and Dona Drake. The film, which was written by Frank Butler and Don Hartman and directed by David Butler for Para ...

'' , , 1942 , , United States , , Paramount Pictures , - , ''

Road to Yesterday ''The Road to Yesterday'' is a 1925 American silent romantic drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film is significant because it was Cecil B. DeMille's first release from his new production company, DeMille Pictures Corporation. It wa ...

'' , , 2015 , , Nigeria , , FilmOne Distribution , - , '' Road Trip'' , , 2000 , , rowspan=2, United States , ,

DreamWorks Pictures DreamWorks Pictures (also known as DreamWorks SKG and formerly DreamWorks Studios, commonly referred to as DreamWorks) is an American film company and distribution label of Amblin Partners. It was originally founded on October 12, 1994 as a liv ...

The Montecito Picture Company The Montecito Picture Company is a film production company co-owned by Ivan Reitman and Tom Pollock. It is located on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, California, United States. Montecito is a city in California in Santa Barbara County. H ...

, - , '' The Road Within'' , , 2014 , , Well Go USA Entertainment , - , '' The Rover'' , , 2014 , , Australia , ,

Village Roadshow Village Roadshow Limited is an Australian company which operates cinemas and theme parks, and produces and distributes films. Before being acquired by private equity company BGH Capital, the company was listed on the Australian Securities Ex ...

A24 A24 is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. It is based in New York City. A24 was founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges. Pr ...

, - , ''

The Rugrats Movie ''The Rugrats Movie'' is a 1998 American animated comedy film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series '' Rugrats''. It was directed by Igor Kovalyov and Norton Virgien and was written by David N. Weiss & J. David Stem. The film int ...

'' , , 1998 , , United States , , rowspan=2, Paramount Pictures

Nickelodeon Movies Nickelodeon Movies is the film production arm of American children's network Nickelodeon and the family film distribution label of Paramount Pictures launched on February 25, 1995 and based in Los Angeles, California. The division has earned n ...

, - , '' Rugrats in Paris: The Movie'' , , 2000 , , United States, Germany , - , '' RV'' , , 2006 , , rowspan=2, United States , ,

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

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'' , , 2004 , ,

Fox Searchlight Pictures Searchlight Pictures, Inc. is an American film production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is part of the Walt Disney Company. Founded in 1994 as Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc. for 20th Century Fox (later 20th Century Stu ...

, - , '' Smoke Signals'' , , 1998 , , United States, Canada , , Miramax , - , ''

'' , , 1977 , , rowspan=5, United States , ,

, - , ''

The Spongebob SquarePants Movie ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' is a 2004 American live-action/animated adventure comedy film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. The film was directed, co-written, and produced by series creat ...

'' , , 2004 , , rowspan=2, Paramount Pictures , - , '' The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run'' , , 2020 , - , '' Stagecoach'' , , 1939 , ,

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

, - , '' Stagecoach'' , , 1966 , ,

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

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The Straight Story ''The Straight Story'' is a 1999 biographical road drama film directed by David Lynch. It was edited and produced by Mary Sweeney, Lynch's longtime partner and collaborator, who also co-wrote the script with John E. Roach. It is based on the tru ...

'' , , 1999 , , United States, United Kingdom, France , , Buena Vista Pictures , - , ''

The Sugarland Express ''The Sugarland Express'' is a 1974 American crime drama film directed by Steven Spielberg in his directorial debut. The film follows a woman (Goldie Hawn) and her husband (William Atherton) as they take a police officer ( Michael Sacks) hostage ...

'' , , 1974 , , rowspan=2 , United States , ,

, - , ''

The Sure Thing ''The Sure Thing'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy romance film written by Steven L. Bloom and Jonathan Roberts and directed by Rob Reiner. The film stars John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Viveca Lindfors, and Nicollette Sheridan. The film chron ...

'' , , 1985 , , Embassy Pictures , - , '' Taxi Driver: Oko Ashewo'' , , 2015 , , Nigeria , , FilmOne Distributions , - , ''

'' , , 1991 , , United States , ,

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

, - , ''

These Final Hours ''These Final Hours'' is a 2013 Australian sci-fi apocalyptic thriller film written and directed by Zak Hilditch and starring Nathan Phillips and Angourie Rice. It was selected to be screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight section of t ...

'' , , 2013 , , Australia , , Roadshow Films , - , ''

Things Are Tough All Over ''Things are Tough All Over'' is a 1982 American action comedy film directed by Thomas K. Avildsen and starring Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin as two aging hippies, and additionally as Arab businessmen Mr. Slyman and Prince Habib. Plot Cheech an ...

'' , , 1982 , , rowspan="7" , United States, ,

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

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Three for the Road ''Three for the Road'' is a 1987 road comedy film directed by Bill L. Norton and starring Charlie Sheen, Alan Ruck, Kerri Green, Sally Kellerman and Blair Tefkin. Plot The film centers around Paul Tracy (Charlie Sheen), a college student and ...

'' , , 1987 , , New Century-Vista , - , ''

To Grandmother's House We Go ''To Grandmother's House We Go'' is a 1992 made-for-television Christmas film directed by Jeff Franklin and starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The film's title comes from a part of one of the first lines of Lydia Maria Child's Thanksgiving so ...

'' , , 1992 , ,

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

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Tommy Boy ''Tommy Boy'' is a 1995 American buddy adventure comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, produced by Lorne Michaels, and starring former ''Saturday Night Live'' castmates and close friends Chris Farley and Davi ...

'' , , 1995 , , Paramount Pictures , - , '' Transamerica'' , 2005 ,

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America pri ...

IFC Films IFC Films is an American film production and distribution company based in New York. It is an offshoot of IFC owned by AMC Networks. It distributes mainly independent films under its own name, select foreign films and documentaries under its ...

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Uncle Peckerhead ''Uncle Peckerhead'' is a 2020 comedy-horror film written and directed by Matthew John Lawrence. Plot The members of the band Duh (Judy, Max, and Mel) have all quit their jobs and are ready to embark on their first tour. The first roadblock on ...

'' , 2020 ,

Epic Pictures Group Epic Pictures Group is an independent film and television studio engaged in the development, financing, production and distribution of film and television. Epic Pictures produces, finances, and distributes approximately twenty-thirty independent ...

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'' , , 1991 , , Germany, France, Australia, United States , ,

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

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Vacation A vacation (American English) or holiday (British English) is either a leave of absence from a regular job or an instance of leisure travel away from home. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances or for specific festi ...

'' , , 2015 , , rowspan=5, United States , ,

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

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We're the Millers ''We're the Millers'' is a 2013 American crime comedy film directed by Rawson M. Thurber and starring Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Molly Quinn, and Ed Helms. The film's screenplay wa ...

'' , , 2013 , ,

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of ...

, - , '' Wild at Heart'' , , 1990 , ,

The Samuel Goldwyn Company The Samuel Goldwyn Company was an American independent film company founded by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., the son of the famous Hollywood mogul, Samuel Goldwyn, in 1978. Background The company originally distributed and acquired art-house films fro ...

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Wild Hogs ''Wild Hogs'' is a 2007 American biker road comedy film directed by Walt Becker and starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy. It was released nationwide in the United States and Canada on March 2, 2007. It was the la ...

'' , , 2007 , , Touchstone Pictures , - , '' Wild Strawberries'' , , 1957 , , Sweden , , AB Svensk Filmindustri , - , '' The Wizard of Oz'' , , 1939 , , rowspan=2, United States , ,

, - , '' Wristcutters: A Love Story'' , , 2006 , , Autonomous Films , - , ''

Y Tu Mamá También Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...

'' , , 2001 , ,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, ,

(Mexico)

(North America) , - , ''

'' , , 2011 , , India , ,

Eros International Eros International Media Ltd (also known as Eros India) is an Indian motion picture production and distribution company, based and originated in Mumbai, India. Founded by Arjun Lulla in 1977, it is one of the leading production and distribut ...

References

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University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

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