Spanish with English subtitles
Each year, the slow-paced lifestyle on Mexico’s largest desert in Baja Peninsula is given a turbo boost by the Baja 1000, the largest off-road motorsport race in the world that takes place crossing the Mexican-US border.
In this modern-day western, José Permar tells a unique story about the border, complete with a commissioned soundtrack of epic corridos performed by a trio of colorful musicians.
The documentary follows Rigo, Davis, and Paco, three fans of this mechanical saga. They are looking for an opportunity to be a part of the race and escape the apparent monotony of their small communities. In their journey, the three men will find something more important than the race itself. They will discover their identity, pride, and sense of belonging to their hometowns.
Press
“This would be an excellent resource for modern anthropology courses and Central American studies as well as an interesting listening resource for advanced Spanish language courses in academic libraries.” – J. Zinmmerman, Video Librarian
“A strong portrait of the humanity at the heart of fandom. It takes racing fans seriously, without mockery or falling into a lampoon. This documentary will likely be of interest to those in sports journalism, exploration of fans and fandom, auto racing, leisure studies, rural anthropology, and Mexican or Latin American studies.” – Michael Pasqualoni, Librarian for Public Communications, Syracuse University Libraries, EMRO
“Off the Road is not a documentary about an epic sport. It is, from beginning to end, a tale of the local heroes whose lives are unavoidably affected by Baja 1000.” – Rebecca Wilson, Sounds and Colours
“Mexican filmmaker José Permar takes a shoestring budget and makes an ingenious and cinematic western style documentary set in the bone dry beauty of Mexico’s largest desert region, The Baja. This is a story about a race, a group of musicians and a community clinging to both in order to survive.” – Meredith Taylor, Filmuforia
