Explainer: Exploring the genre of road trip films with examples
Oh, the elation that courses through us on road trips when we're drenched in nostalgia from head to toe! What's better than being soaked in the sentiments of friendship, joy, and fun while taking a trip that could change our lives forever? The cinematic representation of such journeys hit too close to home, and this is where road trip films become important. Dive in.
Origin and meaning of road movies
Per Encyclopedia, the term is believed to have originated in Hollywood in the 1960s and the 1970s to describe films where the narrative was, more or less, "on the road." The term is now loosely used, of course, to categorize projects that involve all kinds of travel, usually focusing on a group of friends or strangers who eventually turn into lovers.
Primary, most noticeable characteristics
In a road trip film, the characters embark on a journey for various reasons. It could be to fix the holes in their relationship or friendship that a few days together can heal, it can be a reunion of college friends, or it can be the couple's last resort to mend the leaks of their relationship. It could also be a coming-of-age narrative.
Understand it through this definition
Dartmouth defines it as follows, "A subgenre of the travel film, with a fictional narrative governed by movement, usually via car/road. [It displays] a certain metaphysical or existential bent, via themes of rebellion, escape, discovery, and transformation, and is typified by an attenuated or picaresque narrative." "[They] also tend to favor montage sequences, traveling and aerial shots, and diegetic music, usually via car radio."
How many Hollywood road trip/travel films have you seen
Hollywood remains filled to the brim with road trips and travel films where the trip leads to a consequential change in the characters' lives, for better or worse. The Mountain Between Us, Mr. Bean's Holiday, Hector and the Search for Happiness, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Into the Wild, The Darjeeling Limited, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Hangover franchise are among such films.
Bollywood examples of such films
Though the road trip genre remains underexplored in Bollywood, there have been a few films that have made a splash in this genre. Some examples include Imtiaz Ali's Highway, Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaraa, Nagesh Kukunoor's Dhanak, Akarsh Khurana's Karwaan, Shoojit Sircar's Piku, Shashant Shah's Chalo Dilli, Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai, and Tarun Dudeja's recently released Dhak Dhak, among others.
How the genre has changed over the years
The road trip genre has had a journey of its own over the years. For instance, in the 1930s, these films often focused on the intimacy of couples; subsequently, in post-World War II films, protagonists were male best friends, with women also joining them sometimes. As the times changed, LGBTQ+ members, drag queens, and traditionally cinematically underrepresented groups also garnered prominence in such projects.
