Janapar (2012) User Reviews

Gives you faith in human nature

[valleyjohn · 8/10 · 10 June 2020]

Janapar is a really lovely documentary that started out as three friends who were going to travel the world on bikes but quickly became a solo effort. It should have been just an epic travelogue but turned into a love story .

Tom Allen comes across as an impulsive person. Some would say selfish or even reckless but there is one thing can tame him and it's the love of a woman and that woman is and Iranian girl called Tenny.

To be fair , you can see why he fell in love with her. She has a beautiful smile and wonderful personality.

This is really good film that highlights not only how love conquers all but how kind people can be all around the world.

Watch this film!

[trunds · 10/10 · 4 September 2012]

A great film, inspiring & funny. I saw it at a private screening in London. I recommend the film to anyone you don't need to be interested in bikes as the film is really about one mans journey. Look out for the great 1 liner from Tenny 'Public?'brilliant. If you are interested in going on a journey of whatever kind you will find the film inspiring and informative. The filming was done entirely by Tom Allen whilst he was travelling and demonstrates what can be achieved with little equipment or previous knowledge of the film industry. The editing is superb and the story is well told in an ionteresting way without becoming confusing.

Great Vid, travel, love, humor, what more could you want?

[sproglad · 10/10 · 4 September 2012]

Brilliant film, saw the preview of it in Dublin, was really glad I went in. It's emotional, funny and opens your mind, showing that places aren't always how we might make them out to be. It follows Toms journey all over the world to places like Ethiopia, Armenia, Yemen and Iran among others, all on his bicycle. Set in the backdrop of him touring in very remote and difficult places, the film is really a love story about Tom and his now Wife, Tenny. The plot flicks back and forth from Tom's solitary adventuring and his yearning to be with his love. He has to decide between the adventure or his love, and well, I won't spoil it for you. Go Watch!

Love and Adventure on a Bike

[amaya-williams · 9/10 · 4 June 2013]

Janapar is much more than your typical travel/adventure film. It's a coming of age story chronicling one man's struggle to choose the best road in life.

Tom's candid real-time narration gives an honest glimpse into the challenges faced by solo cycle tourers. He's managed to capture decisive moments of his journey, holding nothing back. The cinematography is at times spectacular, with sweeping shots of Tom slogging through the Sahara.

With her natural charm and beauty, it's really Tenny that steals the show. Her determination and strength are inspirational.

Janapar is a great film to get you into the head of an adventurer. AND it's a good old-fashioned love story with a happy ending.

Very overrated

[tommaguzzi · 2/10 · 17 March 2021]

This is a mix and match YouTube blog it is not a proper film so how it found its way onto Amazon prime I have no idea. The scenery and cycling shots are nothing special and have been done better100s of times before. The editing / continuity is terrible. I had to rewatch part of before I realised that the first rider who was with a girl was not the one with the girl that this film is supposedly about. One minute he is in Africa with maleria next shot he is in a flat with a girl in Armeina. No explanation, no background how they met, its all over the place. He sets off again alone but is pining for her at the top of the first mountain and turns back, he arrives to a locked door, again no explanation what happed. Later they set off continuing his world tour together but only get as far as Iran and arrive at her parent's home. They unsuprisingly veto her. He carries on alone, gets as far as Yemen sleeps on a beach and rides back to Iran. They get married, no build up no explanation just the ceremony. They arrive at what looks like his wealthy parent's house in England, no explanation how or why. The end. 2 stars for the occasional nice scenery don't waste your time.

Long, boring and sentimental, this film is most definitely not an adventure documentary

[bobwhitmore-14773 · 2/10 · 25 June 2017]

This film was highly recommended by our local bike shop when I called in with my son, who is preparing for the Great Divide mountain bike ride in a few weeks. We dutifully downloaded it that evening, looking forward to an informative and engaging account of a genuine adventure. What we got instead was an interminable story of a rather callow young man who has what is in effect little more than a holiday romance whilst in the midst of a cycling tour. The romance side is dull, the riding is dull, the direct-to-camera descriptions of the cyclist's various dilemmas are likewise excruciatingly dull. What is impressive is the sterling effort that has been made to fashion what must have been many hours of tedious footage into something resembling a documentary. Likewise the soundtrack is very well put together. Sadly, the intrinsic banality of the source material does not lead to a silk purse level of achievement, rather a sow's ear emerges from what would otherwise have been an even more unappetizing porcine body-part.

Dull and boring with sloppy editing

[motoyen-39767 · 2/10 · 12 May 2020]

I think a lot of people get excited about the idea of this type of trip more so than the actual documentary.

The video itself is utterly boring and an editorial mess. Whoever thinks the editing is superb is clueless about film editing.

There's barely any story in it as we're never properly introduced to the main three characters. We're given no explanation of why his riding partners are deciding to abandon the trip and head out on their own.

The editing is so sloppy that the main character jumps around from location to location with no clear indicator of how he got there.

For example one scene he's eating food with some doctors in Sudan with a plan to cycle to Ethiopia and then the very next scene he's suddenly in Armenia with some girl he met!

The audience is never introduced to the girl, or how he suddenly found himself in Armenia or what happened to the plan to cycle to Ethiopia.

This video isn't worth the $5 I spent to rent it. There are far better films on adventure cycling on Youtube.