Although a favorite of American fans, the road movie is actually a genre that has many fans all over the world, and particularly in Asia, where the occasionally vast spaces provide a great source for such movies. At the same time the category has been used as a metaphor for various psychological, political, social, philosophical etc comments, a plethora of times, highlighting the richness of the particular cinematic approach. Here is a list of 30 of the greatest Asian road movies, in no particular order. Since we already have a list about taxi drivers, we decided to leave these movies out
1. Happy Together (Wong Kar-wai, 1997, Hong Kong)
As with many films by Wong, plot isn't the defining factor. Metaphor is what drives “Happy Together”. The relationship between Lai and Ho and its complicated nature represents the uncertain times ahead for Hong Kong, with high anxiety among the populace. Lai, a homosexual man, represents the social freedoms available to those in Hong Kong. The alluding to the difficult relationship with his father, China, is in hope that the two nations can live side-by-side in the future. Hong Kong is the runaway son on the other side of the world, but now must return and reconcile his differences with old-fashioned China. (Andrew Thayne)
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2. Zindagi Na Milegi Na Milegi Dobara (Zoya Akhtar, 2011, India)
Three friends get together just before the wedding of one of them and decide to go on one last bachelors' trip around Spain in Zoya Akhtar's “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara”. Meeting after a few years after the falling out between two of them, the three decide to take on each of their worst fears during this trip, a trip on which not only their fears but also their friendship, relationships and the concept of a family are tested. Expect to see a good-looking cast in gorgeous Spanish locales and here some wonderful poetry, courtesy of Zoya's writer father Javed Akhtar. (Rhythm Zaveri)
3. Shogun's Shadow (Yasuo Furuhata, 1989, Japan)
Furuhata's feature is a unique one for this list. The story follows a gang of seven samurai hired to protect the Shogun's eldest son as he travels to Edo on the Shogun's behest. As the team makes its way to Edo, they are followed by a vast horde of ninjas and soldiers who seem hellbent on killing the young child. What sets this entry apart from the rest here is that though most of the narrative is on the road, this is a non-stop action extravaganza from the get-go. Featuring some excellent stuntwork and breathtaking action sequences, directed by none other than Sonny Chiba himself (who also appears in a memorable negative role here), the climactic fight featuring Sonny Chiba and Ken Ogata is one for the ages! (Rhythm Zaveri)
4. The Man with Three Coffins (Lee Chang-ho, 1987, South Korea)
This sombre sepia-tinted road movie dated 1987, follows widower Sun-seok (Kim Myung-gon) 3 years after his wife's departure, traveling to her hometown near the DMZ, to spread her ashes. On his trip he encounters 3 women that look exactly like her late wife, 2 prostitutes who suddenly die after a night with him and the nurse Choi (Lee Bo-hee). His path also crosses the one of an old ailing man on the run, whose last wish is to go back to die in his hometown in the North of the country despite his son wanting him to stay in the Southern town he now considers his home. In the end Sun-seok will not manage to reach his wife hometown neither to help the old man and his frustrating journey becomes more and more an allegory of the displacement of Korean families in post Korea War time. Shamanism imbues the whole film with references to afterlife and reincarnation and turns the geographic/politic borders into a liminal space between life and death, amplifying the sense of disorientation. Non-linear, enigmatic, and hypnotic, “The Man with Three Coffins” is a daring film, now a classic, from director-writer Lee Jang-ho. (Adriana Rosati)
5. Karwaan (Akarsh Khurana, 2018, India)
This buddy road comedy involving a corpse mixup set in South India contains some of the most hilariously rude treatments of death contrasted with breathtaking scenery. Though predictable and filled with genre cliches, and troublingly casual racism and sexism, “Karwaan” is made immensely watchable by the amazing chemistry between Dulquer Salmaan in his Hindi debut and Irrfan Khan, who simply steals every scene he's in. (Martin Lukanov)
6. Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji (Tomu Uchida, 1955, Japan)
Apart from the social drama and the various socioeconomic comments, Uchida also focuses on the entertainment aspect, through a number of comic episodes (the one with the kid's stomachache and the tea ceremony will definitely make the spectator laugh) and the various action scenes. The second aspect is presented mainly towards the ending of the film, with the final scene providing the most impressive sequence in the movie. In order to present all the aforementioned, Uchida gives his narrative an episodic nature, which follows the “rules” of the road movie, with many characters involved in a number of episodes revolving around the main protagonists. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
7. One Way Trip (Choi Jeong-yeol, 2016, South Korea)
In terms of direction, though, Choi does a rather good job, keeping the agony from both the actual events and the resolving of the case to a high level, as the film occasionally functions as a thriller. The film has a nice pace, and the flashbacks are well-structured and easy to understand. In that aspect, Lee Yeong-jeong's work in the editing department is quite good. The film becomes a bit melodramatic towards the end, but the actual ending is quite good, and compensates fully. Lee Hyung-bin's cinematography keeps the film in dark colors that seem to fit the story perfectly, while the depiction of the circumstances in both the precincts and the rest of the setting is quite realistic. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
8. Travelers and Magicians (Khyentse Norbu, 2003, Bhutan)
Like its title, “Travelers and Magicians” is split into two very distinct sections, the slow trip to Thimphu and the monk's parable. As risky as it could be, this matryoshka structure of a dream, inside a fable inside a story is executed with measure and gives the narration a pleasant episodic rhythm. The format the director has adopted is the familiar and crowd-pleasing travelogue but he has enriched it with humor and a dark parallel journey into a metaphoric dreamland that predictably is bound to implode. (Adriana Rosati)
9. Adrift in Tokyo (Satoshi Miki, 2007, Japan)
“Adrift in Tokyo” is in many ways just like the journey of its two main protagonists, seemingly aimless but filled with humor and many rather touching moments. Based on the great chemistry between its two leads and wonderful cinematography by Sohei Tanikawa (“Love Exposure”), “Adrift in Tokyo” makes for perhaps the most convincing show of talent for its director, cast and crew. In the end, open-mindedness nearly always pays off, at least in the melancholic-crazy universe of Satoshi Miki. (Rouven Linnarz)
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10. The Continent (Han Han, 2014, China)
An accomplished directorial debut for Han Han, blogger, race car driver and leading post-1980s commentator on contemporary China. When young teacher Jia who lives and works on a small Chinese easter island is transferred by the government, he sets out for a cross-country trip to his new school on the other side of the country, 3980 km from home. His two best friends Hu Sheng and Ma Haohan decide to leave the island too and go together to Jia's new destination. Over the course of the trip, the three men encounter an array of fellow twenty- and thirty-somethings struggling to fulfil their dreams or just surviving in the pragmatic, rapid-changing contemporary China. Things get progressively worse, but Han's subtle sense of humour is a loyal travel companion in this metaphoric road trip across the social and personal anxieties faced by most of the the country's youths. Look out for a Jia Zhangke's rare cameo. (Adriana Rosati)
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