Japanese road movies are many, but ones with the feeling of wide open spaces like their American counterparts are few for obvious geographical reasons: Driving from point A to B on most highways here takes less than a day. And these routes go through far more tunnels than deserts.
A case in point is the titular road of Yusuke Morii’s picaresque, borderline precious second feature “Route 29.” According to Google Maps, the travel time for the whole highway, which runs through the hills between Himeji and Tottori, is about two hours.
That fact is acknowledged in Morii’s script, which is inspired by the poetry of Taichi Nakao, but instead of hitting the accelerator, as did the heroines of “Thelma and Louise,” his two female protagonists spend more time on their feet than in a car. Call it a “walk movie.”
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