Ride Away

Mathias's son has died. Before he died the son made a journey: by bicycle from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. Mathias decides to ride the same road. He takes his friend Philippe with him. Neither is young, neither is a cyclist, and their preparation is insufficient. Along the way come punctures, wrong campsites, rain and the old matters between the two of them. Philippe talks, Mathias does not. The road lengthens and the point stops being how many kilometres the bicycle has covered. Mathias Mlekuz writes and directs, and plays the Mathias of the film himself. Philippe Rebbot plays Philippe. It is a French production and runs 90 minutes. It opened in France on 26 February 2025. The source is the director's own life; the name of the son who died and the journey are real. The narrative does not discuss grief itself; the two men barely enter the subject, and the film uses that as a method rather than a lack. The humour is inside the narrative; the journey proceeds through comic mishaps and the register does not thicken. The landscape is one of its carriers; the geography changing across Europe sets the rhythm. Its limit is structure; the road film shape is familiar and some sections repeat. Who it is for: viewers who like road films and quiet French drama. Who it is not for: the plot is thin, the pace low, and the subject tied closely to personal experience.