For Those Who Have Not Traveled For A Long Time: Road Films

Homer’s Iliad, Cervantes’ Don Quijote, Dante’s Divine Comedy… The concept of the road has been handled as the main theme of many works throughout the history of art. When we look at the history of cinema, it can be said that the genre we call “road movie” originated from the needs of the people who were looking for an alternative life against the discourse of the American Dream in the 1960s. Although the main theme is the road, of course, films in this category have other concerns they want to explain; such as questioning the political and social conditions of the period, internal showdowns, internal journeys …

In this list, we have compiled the movies we want you to watch, including EasyRider, the origin of the road movie genre. We hope you enjoy reading and watching.

1- Little Miss Sunshine

A father devoted to success, devoted to self-help books and seminars, a drug-addicted grandfather, a suicidal uncle due to serial failures in both social and business life, an adolescent brother who swore silence until he became a fighter pilot, a mother who seems devoted to his family, and The smart, cute and chubby girl who sets her primary goal as being the queen of the children’s beauty contest “LittleMissSunshine”. If you are one of those who have never met the Hoover family before, be prepared to accompany them on their journey to California in an old yellow van.

“There are two types of people in the world; winners and losers ”, grandfather Edwin puts the last point and reminds his grandson Olive that sometimes just trying is actually as valuable as winning. Little Sunlight is a 2006 American independent cinema example.

In addition to being a warm and naive road movie, it is also a dark comedy because of the extremely interesting events that the characters go through. After the funny events, dramatic moments, and effective dialogues that have been experienced by this interesting family, the film ends with a huge and indelible smile on the faces of the audience.

2.The Bucket List (Now or Never)

Even the poster of The Bucket List, translated into Turkish as “Now or Never”, is enough to give an idea of ​​the promises of the movie. The friendship of two men with diametrically opposite characters, who have nothing in common other than being old and sick, turns into a fun world tour when they make a list of things they want to do in their remaining lives.

“If I had six months to live, what would I want to do?” Although the film, which seeks an answer to the question, gives the impression of a typical Hollywood movie with its flow and script, we witness two giant actors like Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman carrying the whole movie back and forth flawlessly. The clever dialogues between the two friends and the general message pass to the audience sincerely, and The BucketList takes an important place among the movies that warm people.

3. Thelma & Louise (Thelma and Louise)

An innocent weekend getaway that begins when the Arkansas waiter Louise seduces her friend Thelma, an ordinary housewife, turns into a struggle for freedom with an unexpected murder.

In this cult film, which tells the stories of two women who resist the pressures of the male-dominated society and which is described as “extreme feminist” by some circles, the waitress Louise, who is overwhelmed by her troubled relationship, is Susan Sarandon, and Geena Davis is the life of the troubled housewife in favor of her negligent husband. giving. In the film from 91, Brad Pitt, then a rather immature boy, also plays a young cowboy named JD.

Thelma & Louise, one of the best films of the 1990s and embracing the Oscar statuette with its original script, is also a must in the road movies list.

4- Into the Wild

“Only those who risk going too far can learn how far they can go in life.”

Have you heard the name Christopher McCandless before? Let’s introduce it briefly for those who do not hear; Christopher McCandless is an American traveler born in El Segundo in 1968. Growing up in a very wealthy family, attending elite schools, and known as a bright student by his circle, McCandless changes his name after graduating from Emory University with a degree, donating all the money he had saved in his bank account to charity, getting rid of all the burdens of credit cards and similar. getting involved. McCandless, who started his new life as Alexander Supertramp, the new name of his choiceAlaskaTo go to and realize the inner journey that he cares so much about.

McCandless was passionate about the notion that man needed no more than what the wilderness had to offer and believed he had fulfilled all his responsibilities to his family by successfully completing college. There was no longer any obstacle to refuse the invitation to natural life.

Sean Penn sits in the director’s chair of Into the Wild, which is based on the true story of the American traveler. Their music was composed by Eddie Vedder, who was very impressed by the life of the traveler.

Road Films

5-CaroDiario (My Dear Diary)

Cannes Film Festival Best Director award for his career, Golden Palm, Venice Italian director Nanni Moretti’s Caro Diario tells the series of events that consist of three parts, which fit such successes as the Special Jury Award of the Film Festival. Caro Diario, whose first episode is in “My Vespa”, the second part is called “Islands” and the third episode is called “Doctors”, follows Moretti, who is both director, screenwriter, and actor, and answers the questions that have remained in mind while walking through the city street by street.

we’re searching. Caro Diario is memorized as a highly critical film in which Moretti mirrors the society with his unique style, with humorous and metaphorical elements.

6- Historias Minimas (Argentina Stories)

Carlos Sorin’s 2002 independent film features the road stories of three different characters. In the first, we witness the stories of an old man who traveled miles after his abandoned dog, the second of a mother who was invited to participate as a contestant in a game show thanks to the letters she sent to television, and a peddler in the last. The common point of these three stories is the city of San Julian, their destination.

Historias Minimas is a very special movie based on goodwill, without malice and confusion, mostly amateur actors. Sorin, who succeeded in conveying the idea that we can be happy with small things, without leaving the naturalness, with pure and simple fiction, aimed to remind us of the things we have forgotten.

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6- The Motorcycle Diaries

The film, which is an adaptation of the book written on the basis of Che’s diaries, was met with great interest at all festivals it attended. Known as the famous Cuban revolutionary who changed the face of the Latin American peoples with his revolutions, the Motorcycle Diary, which describes the Latin America journey, which Che described as the beginning of everything, received full marks from the audience in terms of shedding light on Che’s inner world and those periods.

Ernesto, still a medical school student, plans a motorcycle ride with his biochemist friend Alberto Granada. Their aim is to travel across the Latin American continent to get to know the countries and to celebrate Alberto’s thirtieth birthday.

The plans of the two friends who hit the road with their motorcycles named “La Poderosa II” were disrupted when their motorcycles were on the road, and the trip they thought of as four months extended to seven months. Engine deterioration not only affects the duration of the trip, they spend their entire day looking for food and accommodation instead of what they want to do.

This situation, which seems to be a great misfortune, will gradually change the ideas of Ernesto, who finds more opportunity to mingle with the locals, and the first seeds of their future realization will thus be sown.

But the real big change is It begins upon arrival at the leprosy colony in San Pablo. Ernesto, who swam across the dangerous Amazon River despite his asthma and was welcomed by the patients, regained his real identity here (Che: Friend, brother).

7- I’m Juli (in July)

Fatih Akın’s second feature-length film, July, is a warm and sunny movie with its epic story woven with metaphors, just as its name suggests. GermanyDaniel, a self-righteous physics teacher in Turkey, dreams of a peaceful and no-fuss-free holiday when he meets a woman named Juli, and suddenly Daniel sees himself “in pursuit of a sun motif.” Istanbul finds its way.

In I’m Juli, which we believe will fully meet your expectations from a road movie, we are witnessing a very naive love story with the creative style of the director.

8- Due Date

Due Date, which was released in 2010 and is a very enjoyable road movie, begins when Peter gets on the Atlanta plane to catch up with the birth of his wife and suddenly finds himself in the care of Ethan and his dog.

Peter, who has to travel the whole country with Ethan, whose sole purpose is to become an actor, laughs from time to time at what happened to Peter, and from time to time we regress with him. Even though it proceeds with a mediocre setup that we can describe as a “cookie”, we can say that DueDate gives the right to have a pleasant time of 1 hour and thirty-five minutes it promised.

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9- Easy Rider

EasyRider from 1969 is not only a pure road movie, it is also the father of all the road movies we know of. Easy Rider, Dennis Hooper’s first film, competed for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival the year it was released and won an award in the “Best First Works” category.

Needless to mention the great soundtracks of the movie, even those who haven’t seen the movie are sure to dominate the subject (see Born to be wild). The adventures of the two hippies, who wanted to eat the money they earned from drug sales in America, not only attracted the attention of motorcycle riders but also the academic success of the techniques used in the film made EsayRider known in the cult movies category.

The film, whose masterships such as Jack Nicholson, Denis Hopper, and Peter Fonda, which were enriched by the well-known actors, which destroyed the concept of “American Dream” and which has a special place in the heart of the 68 generations, are also said to be the suitable ground for the emergence of Heavy Metal music.

10- Everything Will Be So Beautiful

The last movie on our list is a very “from us” story. Altan, who is trying to open an imaginary bar and turn the corner from a short distance, appears as an extremely sympathetic and again extremely drunken man.

Although he angers the audience as well as his wife and brother with his actions and twists, we cannot stay angry with him for a long time because he is one of those who make him say “there is a devil’s feather” with his sympathy.

One day, he includes his brother, a self-contained man, in one of his tricks, and the two men suddenly find themselves on the Bodrum roads to cooperate with the mafia. Cem Yılmaz plays the character of Altan in the film and Mazhar Alanson plays the role of his older brother. Although Cem Yılmaz is his first film, he processes both drama and comedy in a very measured way and never allows the sincerity to be lost.

In the film, the character of Altan is played by Cem Yılmaz, and his older brother is played by Mazhar Alanson. For this reason, one of the lines we hear the most throughout the film is “I don’t know, Altan.”

We think the soundtrack of the movie deserves to be talked about at least as much as the movie. Even though we had to stay at home, there is no obstacle for us to accompany Altan and Nuri when we say “Get up, let’s go south”. But the finale must be done with “I Still Have Hope” so that the positive atmosphere in the film continues to live in us throughout the day.