When films claim to blend “comic road-movie encounters with emotionally resonant drama”, you could be reading the blurb of almost any mainstream movie. How often do you see one that actually achieves this? Québécois director Louis Bélanger’s Route 132 grapples with death and rebirth in a witty and poignant journey that will see father Gilles (François Papineau) take off with childhood friend Bob (Alexis Martin) avoiding the funeral of his five year old son, and learning to come to terms with his grief.

Forget Due Date or The Hangover, this is a road movie that feels like a process with a natural conclusion and is not two hours of forced slapstick or reflection. Powerful performances are captured by close-up shots and the camera seems to linger at the end of each scene setting the pace and a wistful tone, which can at points feel slow – probably more because of the impatience of the viewer than the slowness of the story; you can’t rush grief. But Bélanger has the film balanced precisely: Gilles’ struggle with sadness is countered by Bob’s likeable nature and unintentional wit. This film really does do what is says on the tin, and it does it well. Be patient, and get engrossed.