Reaching out with meaning far beyond its melancholy central story, this is an excellent film. It is, in simple terms, the tale of Ahmed, former rock star from Pakistan who finds himself, by way of domestic misfortune, pushing his coffee-and-donuts cart through the streets of NYC to make a living. Opportunities to escape his lonely lot come his way. Will he/won't he take them? But it's more than that: it's a story of the gulf between rich and poor; of the sensitive and the brutish; the pecking order of immigrants in the so-called Melting Pot; and of course the position in particular of Muslim immigrants post 9/11. In the end, Ahmed's cart becomes a symbol of the burdens that we give ourselves, that we don't know how to let go of, even when the chance comes to do so. It's beautifully photographed, superbly acted. A true independent.
41 Reviews
Haunting, Sensual Mood Piece
Cheetah-62 November 2007
Moving with a slow even rhythm, this film portrays a man's struggle to get by as an immigrant to the U.S. from Pakistan. His life centers on his work as a street vendor who must pull his cart to a New York city street corner every morning and sell coffee and such to the busy urban customers. The cart, like his troubles in life are quite allot for him to keep under control as he makes his way through the crowded NYC landscape. What makes the film work so well is the overall atmosphere and style in which it was shot. Ahmad is a reticent soul and much is expressed in his eyes and demeanor, his world is urban and dark, the vast majority of this film is at night and Ahmad seems to be living in a nighttime existence. There's a feeling of confinement and being trapped as well. Even when Ahmed loses his cart it seems there is no place to go to look for it. The relationship that develops with a woman that he meets who also works as a street vendor is tentative and cautionary in its process but also intriguing and sensual. The film is non manipulative and non judgmental, it's an outsider's gaze into one man's lonely isolated existence far from his past and former self.
Another gentle but capable soul befuddled by New York
socrates9927 April 2006
And it's New York's loss, not his.
Saw this film this afternoon at Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival. The lead actor, Ahmad Razvi, is not a professional actor, but he holds his own very well. He told the audience after the screening that he had pushed a cart, briefly, but was self-employed when he was discovered by the director behind the counter of his own restaurant. However, in my opinion this is the director's, Ramin Bahrani, and cinematographer's, a guy named Simmons, film.
There is very little plot. It is about shining a light onto the life of one of the street vendors you can buy from in many of our larger cities, and never really think about. He has a story. Some people will be bored with it, but most of the more insightful audience members will never forget what they're so convincingly exposed to here.
This is Bahrani's first film, I believe, and it's certainly an indication of great things to come. He's taken the legend of Sisyphus in this his first outing and transformed it into something we can all relate to. And it's something we need to relate to given our current distrust of Muslims, ex-rock star or not. Somehow, though, I doubt that many working at Homeland Security are likely to see it.
Saw this film this afternoon at Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival. The lead actor, Ahmad Razvi, is not a professional actor, but he holds his own very well. He told the audience after the screening that he had pushed a cart, briefly, but was self-employed when he was discovered by the director behind the counter of his own restaurant. However, in my opinion this is the director's, Ramin Bahrani, and cinematographer's, a guy named Simmons, film.
There is very little plot. It is about shining a light onto the life of one of the street vendors you can buy from in many of our larger cities, and never really think about. He has a story. Some people will be bored with it, but most of the more insightful audience members will never forget what they're so convincingly exposed to here.
This is Bahrani's first film, I believe, and it's certainly an indication of great things to come. He's taken the legend of Sisyphus in this his first outing and transformed it into something we can all relate to. And it's something we need to relate to given our current distrust of Muslims, ex-rock star or not. Somehow, though, I doubt that many working at Homeland Security are likely to see it.
solitude of a human being
vbellavista29 September 2005
Accurate moviewatching can give you such strong pleasure that, if rightly chosen, the selected film can feed your mind for weeks.
On the other hand, if your choice fails, even thoroughly prepared by selecting critics and seeing previews, the frustration is so high that your first thought is never again a moviewatching, and how can the producer be punished!!
Well, none of this will happen seeeing "Man push Cart"! You are immediately seized by the deeply melancolic poetry of New Yorks' dark street through the night. You strongly feel the solitude and the constant sweetness of the hero, who seems totally submitted to fate whenever it hits him. Is it weakness , or is he very wise? The film, without naming them, speaks of all our present troubles: loss of social, religious and emotional identity> you will carry its delicate atmosphere and all the questions aroused for a long time.
On the other hand, if your choice fails, even thoroughly prepared by selecting critics and seeing previews, the frustration is so high that your first thought is never again a moviewatching, and how can the producer be punished!!
Well, none of this will happen seeeing "Man push Cart"! You are immediately seized by the deeply melancolic poetry of New Yorks' dark street through the night. You strongly feel the solitude and the constant sweetness of the hero, who seems totally submitted to fate whenever it hits him. Is it weakness , or is he very wise? The film, without naming them, speaks of all our present troubles: loss of social, religious and emotional identity> you will carry its delicate atmosphere and all the questions aroused for a long time.
I'm just a guy that sells coffee and donuts.
PaulyC12 June 2012
Every night, before New York City wakens, Ahmad pushes his coffee and donut cart to it's usual spot on the street corner. As the movie moves along, we find out that Ahmad was a bit of a rock star in Pakistan. His wife is dead and his in-laws won't let him see his son. Did Ahmad come to America to pursue a relationship with his son? The answer is never clear. He meets a pretty vendor up the street but can't bring himself to have a relationship with her. It is slow moving but in a good way as I would describe it as a "slice of life" kind of movie. The actual making of the movie involved using a concealed camera for a lot of shots including a scene where Ahmad sells bootlegged porn DVD's to two guys. These two guys were not actors and didn't even know they were going to be in the movie. It was shot in less than three weeks on a small budget. This is a pretty decent film for it's atmosphere and character development but is clearly not for everybody. A true example of low budget guerrilla film-making.
A haunting film that captures loneliness
khemass9 September 2007
Watching a movie without a real plot can be difficult for me sometimes, but not with "Man Push Cart". I think this film is an art. It gives us a chance to look closer into a life of a seller on the street, to absorb his experience, and feel his deep loneliness.
I don't know how the director did it, but these small details of a man's life: daily conversations with customers, pulling a heavy cart alone on the street of a big city, taking a kitten home and trying to keep her in a little box, etc. can communicate so much. Ahmad's deeply sad eyes and humble personality make me feel sorry for him, especially when you see him broken-heart because of love and friendship found and lost. The character is so real. I feel like I get a chance to know him. This movie doesn't have much of a plot but it does have a point and can inspire good things in the viewer. Some thoughts stay with me after the movie was over. Small greeting or simple kindness, even from strangers, can mean so much to a person. There are people living around us who have much more difficult life and if we can look a little closer and care a little more, this world can be a better place.
After seeing Ahmad pushing his cart and living his life, I feel that the difficulty in my life is trivial comparing to many people on earth. After I finish watching the movie, I went back to my work without complaining how boring or tiring it was.
I don't know how the director did it, but these small details of a man's life: daily conversations with customers, pulling a heavy cart alone on the street of a big city, taking a kitten home and trying to keep her in a little box, etc. can communicate so much. Ahmad's deeply sad eyes and humble personality make me feel sorry for him, especially when you see him broken-heart because of love and friendship found and lost. The character is so real. I feel like I get a chance to know him. This movie doesn't have much of a plot but it does have a point and can inspire good things in the viewer. Some thoughts stay with me after the movie was over. Small greeting or simple kindness, even from strangers, can mean so much to a person. There are people living around us who have much more difficult life and if we can look a little closer and care a little more, this world can be a better place.
After seeing Ahmad pushing his cart and living his life, I feel that the difficulty in my life is trivial comparing to many people on earth. After I finish watching the movie, I went back to my work without complaining how boring or tiring it was.
I waited for you at Toys 'R' Us.
sharky_5516 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Man Push Cart has glimpses of that weary, working class struggle that great works from the Italian neorealists or the British kitchen sink realists provided a window to. The cinematographer's style is plain and unadorned; it does not place extra weight or emphasis on any particular shot, but simply observes a man and his method of survival in the greatest and busiest city on earth. The film's title quite literally describes his daily toil; more than once we are presented with Ahmad's task of dragging his breakfast cart through the streets, filmed in mid shot from in front so that he appears to have no apparent destination (here and there are subtle existentialist tones). Such moments are seldom seen in more consumerist-driven, Hollywood cinema - it's simply wasted space, screen time with no apparent purpose, tedious for the audience to sit through. So it must simulate what Ahmad shoulders each morning and each evening too, tedious, back-breaking work for what seems to be very little reward.
Ahmad Razvi is Ahmad, in a worn out, laconic performance that hints at his tragic past. He used to be a rock star in Pakistan, he used to have a wife, he used to be able to see and kiss and hold his son every day. Those are now all gone. Razvi channels his portrayal through the physicalities of his traumas and burdens, crafting an entire weary worldview in his slow trudge through the streets of New York, grappling with the handle of his cart. He speaks only the bare minimum required of him, not because he has been silenced, but because the world has forgotten about him, and to voice this would nothing to change the situation. So he pushes his cart.
His backstory demands more meat on the bone than what director Ramin Bahrani offers. In a De Sica-like gut-punch near the end of the film, Ahmad's entire world comes crashing down as he discovers that his cart has been stolen, and races from street to street, frantically searching for the tool that provides his livelihood. There is additional desperation in that the money lost would have gone to finally finding a home where he could be with his son. Yet the boy is ultimately little more than window dressing in the overall narrative, a wisp of a character to boost his motivations. It is a testament to Bicycle Thieves that the act of losing a bicycle could bare a character's soul so nakedly, drive decent men to do desperate things in order to survive. The boy sees what his father has become. Their relationship has been damaged irreparably. But in Ahmad's pleas, his son barely registers a second thought, and the same occurs in the audience's minds.
There is also the curious and frustrating romance subplot that Ahmad dabbles in but eventually rejects. He finds his equal in Noemi, who runs a mobile news agency on the same cold streets. But she represents a cutesy ideal at odds with the film's aesthetic, skipping from scene to scene with a waifish frame but round, shining saucers for eyes. Her intentions are oddly upfront; she flashes desire in her every look towards Ahmad, hoping he might take that courageous leap, grab his redemption and swing it around in his arms, planting kisses all over. She is a fairly obvious and frequent character in these films, pretty little things designed to lift up and stroke the egos of crestfallen male protagonists.
Resigned to losing his cart, Ahmad's one final plea is to his businessman friend for a loan of $5000. The friend refuses, instead spitting Ahmad's failures and lack of commitment back at him. He snaps - he strikes his friend, then scurries away in shame of what he has done. The moment could have been the film's Bicycle Thieves climax, where Antonio Ricci discards his dignity and decides to steal what has been stolen from him to make a living for his family. But the slap rings hollow. A better film would allow us to understand the emotion behind the hit; how he has lost his chance to be with his son, how he has rejected the only one who cares for him, how he has been stripped of the one possession that he could call his in these troubled times. He has lost everything in that one slap, so why does it not resonate louder?
Ahmad Razvi is Ahmad, in a worn out, laconic performance that hints at his tragic past. He used to be a rock star in Pakistan, he used to have a wife, he used to be able to see and kiss and hold his son every day. Those are now all gone. Razvi channels his portrayal through the physicalities of his traumas and burdens, crafting an entire weary worldview in his slow trudge through the streets of New York, grappling with the handle of his cart. He speaks only the bare minimum required of him, not because he has been silenced, but because the world has forgotten about him, and to voice this would nothing to change the situation. So he pushes his cart.
His backstory demands more meat on the bone than what director Ramin Bahrani offers. In a De Sica-like gut-punch near the end of the film, Ahmad's entire world comes crashing down as he discovers that his cart has been stolen, and races from street to street, frantically searching for the tool that provides his livelihood. There is additional desperation in that the money lost would have gone to finally finding a home where he could be with his son. Yet the boy is ultimately little more than window dressing in the overall narrative, a wisp of a character to boost his motivations. It is a testament to Bicycle Thieves that the act of losing a bicycle could bare a character's soul so nakedly, drive decent men to do desperate things in order to survive. The boy sees what his father has become. Their relationship has been damaged irreparably. But in Ahmad's pleas, his son barely registers a second thought, and the same occurs in the audience's minds.
There is also the curious and frustrating romance subplot that Ahmad dabbles in but eventually rejects. He finds his equal in Noemi, who runs a mobile news agency on the same cold streets. But she represents a cutesy ideal at odds with the film's aesthetic, skipping from scene to scene with a waifish frame but round, shining saucers for eyes. Her intentions are oddly upfront; she flashes desire in her every look towards Ahmad, hoping he might take that courageous leap, grab his redemption and swing it around in his arms, planting kisses all over. She is a fairly obvious and frequent character in these films, pretty little things designed to lift up and stroke the egos of crestfallen male protagonists.
Resigned to losing his cart, Ahmad's one final plea is to his businessman friend for a loan of $5000. The friend refuses, instead spitting Ahmad's failures and lack of commitment back at him. He snaps - he strikes his friend, then scurries away in shame of what he has done. The moment could have been the film's Bicycle Thieves climax, where Antonio Ricci discards his dignity and decides to steal what has been stolen from him to make a living for his family. But the slap rings hollow. A better film would allow us to understand the emotion behind the hit; how he has lost his chance to be with his son, how he has rejected the only one who cares for him, how he has been stripped of the one possession that he could call his in these troubled times. He has lost everything in that one slap, so why does it not resonate louder?
Impressive and strong portrayal of loneliness
prosper-115 December 2005
I saw the film at the festival Mannheim, and although I wanted to stay some minutes only to get a feeling for the film I eventually stayed until the end. The film has a captivating, almost entrancing rhythm, like a song, always coming back to the lonely refrain-image of the protagonist pushing his cart through NYC. To call it "sad" would be like calling "Taxi Driver" a sad film. Authentic is certainly more appropriate, maybe even wild. Not in matters of dynamics but in terms of consistency. No fear to show things as they are. In real life, people lose their loved ones and can't replace them, they don't kiss potential new loves although they probably should and they can't take care of other beings or give life to their own existence if they are merely a shell of their former self. And who can blame anyone for not doing something that seems to be so easy for one person but is very hard to achieve for somebody else? Brilliant photography and lyrical representations of loneliness in an overcrowded place.
Good effort, but the results are somewhat forgettable
zetes22 October 2007
There really aren't enough films made about the modern experience of immigrants in America. There's a huge vein to be mined there. Man Push Cart is a step in the right direction. This film follows a Pakistani immigrant in New York City who sells drinks and donuts from a push cart. He was a pop star in his native country, but is now reduced to nothing. It's a simple story, entertaining and moderately involving, told decently enough. Unfortunately, when you step back and look at it, it's all pretty vapid. Director Bahrani clearly aims for neorealism, even echoing The Bicycle Thieves at points, but the neorealist classics aren't nearly as simplistic as a lot of people tend to think. Here, the characters are two-dimensional, the situation is pretty shallow, and the distantly foreshadowed climactic event feels like a cheap ploy. I'd hardly call it a bad film, but I think much more could have been done with the subject.
A real new New York film!
s-andrews7821 December 2005
I just came back from a trip to New York and I was reminded of a film I had seen a couple months prior at the London Film Festival, Man Push Cart.
The film so honestly and beautifully captured what New York felt like when I was walking in the bitter cold streets. I had liked the film when I saw it, but walking on the streets I could not get the images out of my head. It had stayed with me since then. The cinematography is really beautiful and the main actor is really, really good. The director said in the Q&A that he is not an actor, but a real push cart vendor. So of course I bought a tea and bagel from one of the vendors and said hello!
The film IS New York, but could just as easily have happened here in London. It made me look at that invisible person who we see all the time around us here in London and that they are people with lives, and dreams. Very sincere and honest.
It is a really good film. I recommend you see it.
The film so honestly and beautifully captured what New York felt like when I was walking in the bitter cold streets. I had liked the film when I saw it, but walking on the streets I could not get the images out of my head. It had stayed with me since then. The cinematography is really beautiful and the main actor is really, really good. The director said in the Q&A that he is not an actor, but a real push cart vendor. So of course I bought a tea and bagel from one of the vendors and said hello!
The film IS New York, but could just as easily have happened here in London. It made me look at that invisible person who we see all the time around us here in London and that they are people with lives, and dreams. Very sincere and honest.
It is a really good film. I recommend you see it.
Not Bad, Not Great Though
michaeltrivedi13 September 2020
This movie had great reviews. I didn't think it was that great.
It was cool seeing this ex-rocker doing menial tasks like pushing a food cart around. The situations he gets into are cool, almost an everyday life type of movie.
I didn't see too much here. It was okay.
6 stars
It was cool seeing this ex-rocker doing menial tasks like pushing a food cart around. The situations he gets into are cool, almost an everyday life type of movie.
I didn't see too much here. It was okay.
6 stars
NYC under a different light.....great interpretation!!
alex-abagian10 January 2006
I watched this movie at the London Film Festival and walked in, in fairness, without very high expectations....in the end these have turned out to be the best couple of hours i spent in front of a movie screen over the last few years. I very much agree with some of the comments which relate this movie to "taxi driver". As the scenes go by there is a growing sense of willingness to continue to fight and try to achieve a peaceful happiness in a restless society like NYC, where trying to establish yourself starting from the very bottom appears an impossible challenge. The movie with a catching simplicity puts the viewer in front of the other new york.....away from wall street success stories or thrilling NYC crime movies, it shows a different angle of the big apple...the story of those which have the strength to face poverty and loneliness with pride, honesty and great determination. I found amazing how the director has been able to express such density of feelings and meanings of life with almost no words and complex dialogues, but simply through a man pushing a cart and talking through his silence.....a fantastic interpretation!!!
Man Push Cart
MartinTeller30 December 2011
A meditative study of struggle and loneliness, following a Pakistani man who schleps his food cart (in a most Sisyphus-like manner) through the streets of New York in the wee hours every morning and tries to scratch out enough money to survive and hopefully see his son once in a while. The casual pace, restrained performances and attention to detail are naturally reminiscent of Bresson, and by extension, the Dardennes. Specifically, it has much in common with MOUCHETTE and ROSETTA. However, it doesn't have the emotional resonance of those films. Somehow the miseries piled upon Ahmed feel a bit more contrived. He's not just living in a harsh world, he seems to have bad luck thrust upon him. Still, it's a thoughtful film with a relatable lead performance by Razvi. I also liked Leticia Dolera, the Spanish newsstand girl. The other actors are a mixed bag, with Charles Daniel Sandoval coming off as particularly poor. Even if this film didn't quite satisfy me, it did leave me curious about Bahrani's later work.
Has much potential, but couldn't quite pull it off
Kokomama28 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
**SPOILERS ALERT**
Man Push Cart is a heavy, slice-of-life look at a Pakastani immigrant's daily routine selling coffee, donuts and bagels from a cart in Manhattan. His wife died a year earlier, his in-laws have his son, and Ahmed has yet to rejoin life as he continues to mourn. Ahmed meets a series of people as well as a kitten who can pull him out of his dreary existence, but each of these are slowly pulled away from him as Ahmed chooses to remain in or cannot let go of the life he has carved out for himself in the last year. I can be satisfied with an unhappy ending if there is resolution in the film, but this one does not have it. If the back story of Ahmed's wife and why he had to leave Pakastan were explained, this movie would have been phenomenal. Unfortunately, this does not happen, and I was left feeling unsettled with numerous questions and just worn down by the painful existence of Ahmed without understanding why he lives the life he leads.
Man Push Cart is a heavy, slice-of-life look at a Pakastani immigrant's daily routine selling coffee, donuts and bagels from a cart in Manhattan. His wife died a year earlier, his in-laws have his son, and Ahmed has yet to rejoin life as he continues to mourn. Ahmed meets a series of people as well as a kitten who can pull him out of his dreary existence, but each of these are slowly pulled away from him as Ahmed chooses to remain in or cannot let go of the life he has carved out for himself in the last year. I can be satisfied with an unhappy ending if there is resolution in the film, but this one does not have it. If the back story of Ahmed's wife and why he had to leave Pakastan were explained, this movie would have been phenomenal. Unfortunately, this does not happen, and I was left feeling unsettled with numerous questions and just worn down by the painful existence of Ahmed without understanding why he lives the life he leads.
Getting By
MacAindrais26 September 2008
Man Push Cart (2006) ****
One of the brightest stars who's shine is hidden behind the influx of barely inspired and boldly formulaic audience friendly indie pleasers, Ramin Bahrani made his big leap with this 2006 near masterpiece. Man Push Cart is a stripped bare expose of the life of a push cart worker, trying to get by so that he can continue to try and get by.
Ahmad (Ahmad Razvi) was a former rockstar in his native Pakistan, but left that life behind to come to America with his wife and child. His family did not approve of him, and so they left their lives behind. In New York, he pulls his heavy cart through the predawn traffic, not noticed by the passing cars unless he is in their way. He has his regular customers with whom he chats, and has his vendor friends, with whom he barters and trades porno dvds for cigarettes or whatever else. He makes friends with a well off fellow Pakistani, Mohammad, who invites him to paint his apartment if he needs extra cash. Once there, Mohammad realizes why he has found Ahmad's face so familiar. He wants to set him up with another friend, who he says is connected in the industry. One day, his contact at a paper stand is replaced by a young Spanish woman. Ahmad is clearly attracted to her, and she to him. This is okay, as Ahmad confides in Mohammad that his wife died soon after their arrival. His son now lives with his mother's parents while Ahmad tries to save up the money to get an apartment for them. His cart is his lifeblood. His cart, for now, is his life.
This interferes with his personal life. His wife's death has left him scarred, and although we're not told, we infer that Noemi and Mohammad are the only friends he has had since coming to this strange new city. Mohammad gets him a job working in a club, one which he leaves midshift so he can get back to his cart, to push and pull it into the downtown core. His inability to communicate his feelings to Noemi leaves her open to Mohammad, who also likes her. It's nonetheless clear that she wants Ahmad. But his life has no space for love right now - only pushing and pulling, selling and bartering. Trying to get by, so he can continue to get by.
Bahrani, an Iranian raised in America, directs the film as minimally as possible. Man Push Cart is Bicycle Thieves redux - not that it is as good a film as that great one, of course, but simply in the same vein. It's akin to a French Minimalist Italian Neorealist made in America by an Iranian starring a Pakistani. The camera moves and cuts only when it must. Bahrani relies on the quiet resonance of his story and the muted power of his actors to tell it. As much a lover of bold direction as I am, understated direction is often the wisest, and even the boldest, choice a filmmaker can take.
Man Push Cart is a slow and bittersweet film - often more bitter than sweet. But in the end, instead of being broken, Ahmad finds a spark of hope in his surroundings. He will have taken a tumble, but he has the perseverance to struggle on, not for his own sake, but for the sake of a better day to come. Then he will have time to love, to laugh. But for now, he will keep trying to get by today, so he can try to get by tomorrow, and someday get where he needs to be
One of the brightest stars who's shine is hidden behind the influx of barely inspired and boldly formulaic audience friendly indie pleasers, Ramin Bahrani made his big leap with this 2006 near masterpiece. Man Push Cart is a stripped bare expose of the life of a push cart worker, trying to get by so that he can continue to try and get by.
Ahmad (Ahmad Razvi) was a former rockstar in his native Pakistan, but left that life behind to come to America with his wife and child. His family did not approve of him, and so they left their lives behind. In New York, he pulls his heavy cart through the predawn traffic, not noticed by the passing cars unless he is in their way. He has his regular customers with whom he chats, and has his vendor friends, with whom he barters and trades porno dvds for cigarettes or whatever else. He makes friends with a well off fellow Pakistani, Mohammad, who invites him to paint his apartment if he needs extra cash. Once there, Mohammad realizes why he has found Ahmad's face so familiar. He wants to set him up with another friend, who he says is connected in the industry. One day, his contact at a paper stand is replaced by a young Spanish woman. Ahmad is clearly attracted to her, and she to him. This is okay, as Ahmad confides in Mohammad that his wife died soon after their arrival. His son now lives with his mother's parents while Ahmad tries to save up the money to get an apartment for them. His cart is his lifeblood. His cart, for now, is his life.
This interferes with his personal life. His wife's death has left him scarred, and although we're not told, we infer that Noemi and Mohammad are the only friends he has had since coming to this strange new city. Mohammad gets him a job working in a club, one which he leaves midshift so he can get back to his cart, to push and pull it into the downtown core. His inability to communicate his feelings to Noemi leaves her open to Mohammad, who also likes her. It's nonetheless clear that she wants Ahmad. But his life has no space for love right now - only pushing and pulling, selling and bartering. Trying to get by, so he can continue to get by.
Bahrani, an Iranian raised in America, directs the film as minimally as possible. Man Push Cart is Bicycle Thieves redux - not that it is as good a film as that great one, of course, but simply in the same vein. It's akin to a French Minimalist Italian Neorealist made in America by an Iranian starring a Pakistani. The camera moves and cuts only when it must. Bahrani relies on the quiet resonance of his story and the muted power of his actors to tell it. As much a lover of bold direction as I am, understated direction is often the wisest, and even the boldest, choice a filmmaker can take.
Man Push Cart is a slow and bittersweet film - often more bitter than sweet. But in the end, instead of being broken, Ahmad finds a spark of hope in his surroundings. He will have taken a tumble, but he has the perseverance to struggle on, not for his own sake, but for the sake of a better day to come. Then he will have time to love, to laugh. But for now, he will keep trying to get by today, so he can try to get by tomorrow, and someday get where he needs to be
please, not another weeping social drama!
cookie_on_fire13 November 2005
what we saw was a "very dark copy" of a movie (some of the scenes are extremely dark and we almost saw nothing happening there). good photography, maybe too close to the protagonists (the viewer is constantly pushing their intimacy, which is a cheap trick when you don't have strong story so you make one based on the faces of the actors - sometimes it works out OK).
the core of the story and it's resolvability is too weak. there is nothing but (social) darkness. very emile zola style. no hope. nothing changed. the movie, in which characters don't change - think about it - that is the ground necessity of the movie, to change its characters so you get some message, so you learn something, something calls for action inside you. everything is extremely apathetic and slowed down in the misery here so you also become that way. yes, you can feel some compassion, but there is nothing you could do. there is no solution and no message (except its the story about "hard working people from the edge").
bottom line: Mike Leigh is so much better in making the same point and he won't leave you with nothing to take home. so if you are craving that kind of movies, seek elsewhere.
the core of the story and it's resolvability is too weak. there is nothing but (social) darkness. very emile zola style. no hope. nothing changed. the movie, in which characters don't change - think about it - that is the ground necessity of the movie, to change its characters so you get some message, so you learn something, something calls for action inside you. everything is extremely apathetic and slowed down in the misery here so you also become that way. yes, you can feel some compassion, but there is nothing you could do. there is no solution and no message (except its the story about "hard working people from the edge").
bottom line: Mike Leigh is so much better in making the same point and he won't leave you with nothing to take home. so if you are craving that kind of movies, seek elsewhere.
Moving, beautiful, sharply observed insight into one man's daily struggle
navindu-katugampola3 January 2006
Man Push Cart is a gem of independent film making. It is a beautiful, haunting portrayal of one man's life in an alien city. A thriving metropolis like New York is home to a myriad of stories. In the course of our daily lives, we only scratch the surfaces of many of these. This film delves deeper into one of them - the story of Ahmad, an immigrant bagel cart worker. There is some optimism, but equally, much disappointment. Moments of happiness, and many of sadness. Hollywood demands that the hero gets the girl, achieves success, and all is resolved in a "happy ending". This film is unashamedly and refreshingly un-Hollywood, and Ahmad's ultimate fulfilment is by no means guaranteed. Nevertheless, like Sisyphus, he will persevere. When the cameras stop rolling, and we leave the cinema, he will continue. It is this, together with superb lead actor Ahmad Razvi's own personal experiences as a push cart vendor, that make this film so convincing and compelling.
This is a film that stays with you. For those of us who live in large cities, this film is a moving insight into the world that goes on all around us, a world that we skim past every day and quickly forget. Man Push Cart is a sympathetic, but not sentimental, snapshot of this world, and one that is well worth experiencing.
This is a film that stays with you. For those of us who live in large cities, this film is a moving insight into the world that goes on all around us, a world that we skim past every day and quickly forget. Man Push Cart is a sympathetic, but not sentimental, snapshot of this world, and one that is well worth experiencing.
He was the the Bono of Lahore.
lastliberal27 January 2008
This is not a first film for Iranian writer/director Ramin Bahrani. It is actually his third, but it is obviously a labor of love, not something made to generate profit.
Like Julia Stiles film, Raving, this is a slice of life in New York. A Pakistani Rock Star moves to the city for his wife and child, but tragedy strikes and the mother-in-law-from-hell keeps him apart from his son.
He spends his time - from 3 am until after dark, loading, pushing and selling. The trip through the cavern in The Descent was not nearly as terrifying as seeing Ahmad (Ahmad Razvi) pull his coffee and bagel cart through New York traffic. He certainly has more nerve that I have! One only hopes for good things to happen for Ahmad, but, alas, that is not to be. Loss and drudgery is the story of his life, and this film allows you to tag along and share that burden.
With the enchanting Leticia Dolera, Bahrani's labor of love is truly worthy.
Like Julia Stiles film, Raving, this is a slice of life in New York. A Pakistani Rock Star moves to the city for his wife and child, but tragedy strikes and the mother-in-law-from-hell keeps him apart from his son.
He spends his time - from 3 am until after dark, loading, pushing and selling. The trip through the cavern in The Descent was not nearly as terrifying as seeing Ahmad (Ahmad Razvi) pull his coffee and bagel cart through New York traffic. He certainly has more nerve that I have! One only hopes for good things to happen for Ahmad, but, alas, that is not to be. Loss and drudgery is the story of his life, and this film allows you to tag along and share that burden.
With the enchanting Leticia Dolera, Bahrani's labor of love is truly worthy.
Man Push Cart - EXCELLENT
ebbutterfly10 February 2006
I sat in the theater at Sundance, watching this movie of my friend, Ahmad Razvi, and have to say that I was completely transformed watching him in real life to the screen.
The movie some may think as a bleak, no-hope film. I mean, I will agree at times just that. Honestly seemed like there wasn't a break for Ahmad. The movie is about a man who makes his living in those little metal pushcarts in NYC. Pretty much his day to day experiences, fights, hopes and sorrows. He has a son that his in-laws will not allow him to see because they believe that he is the cause of their daughter's death. His wife's death isn't something seen in the movie but there are a lot of pieces where its alluded too. At the end of the movie, you see two men pushing a cart, one helping the other. I would have to say that this is ray of hope - a new beginning possibly for Ahmad, the man inside the cart maybe for us as well.
After the movie, there is a section of Q & A which I found interesting. According to the director, he shot everything in a "box". Every seen is like that...just like life, there are boundaries. Things that we can't see beyond or even get around. That came through the movie with how dark it was filmed and even the music that was set with it.
It is an awesome film that begins with bleakness but ends in hope. Maybe its a road map for something bigger.
The movie some may think as a bleak, no-hope film. I mean, I will agree at times just that. Honestly seemed like there wasn't a break for Ahmad. The movie is about a man who makes his living in those little metal pushcarts in NYC. Pretty much his day to day experiences, fights, hopes and sorrows. He has a son that his in-laws will not allow him to see because they believe that he is the cause of their daughter's death. His wife's death isn't something seen in the movie but there are a lot of pieces where its alluded too. At the end of the movie, you see two men pushing a cart, one helping the other. I would have to say that this is ray of hope - a new beginning possibly for Ahmad, the man inside the cart maybe for us as well.
After the movie, there is a section of Q & A which I found interesting. According to the director, he shot everything in a "box". Every seen is like that...just like life, there are boundaries. Things that we can't see beyond or even get around. That came through the movie with how dark it was filmed and even the music that was set with it.
It is an awesome film that begins with bleakness but ends in hope. Maybe its a road map for something bigger.
Hope is given then taken away
rioplaydrum24 November 2015
I liked the film, could definitely relate to the real life struggle, but had to grapple with the ending.
The cinematography is somewhat overloaded with telescopic shots clearly illustrating the claustrophobic atmosphere of New York. I also found the close-in shots of the characters irritating. I wanted to see Ahmad's apartment, the building he lives in, why he doesn't even have a doorknob on his front door. Not just head-shots of him smoking cigarettes and listening to music.
The plot was distinctive but ultimately depressing as Ahmad stumbles onto one disappoint after another, and some of it due to self-sabotage and carelessness.
Poor Ahmad does not get to reclaim his former glory, loses what precious business he has, and doesn't get the girl.
I'd only recommend this film after a really bad day.
Because Ahmad has it worse than you.
The cinematography is somewhat overloaded with telescopic shots clearly illustrating the claustrophobic atmosphere of New York. I also found the close-in shots of the characters irritating. I wanted to see Ahmad's apartment, the building he lives in, why he doesn't even have a doorknob on his front door. Not just head-shots of him smoking cigarettes and listening to music.
The plot was distinctive but ultimately depressing as Ahmad stumbles onto one disappoint after another, and some of it due to self-sabotage and carelessness.
Poor Ahmad does not get to reclaim his former glory, loses what precious business he has, and doesn't get the girl.
I'd only recommend this film after a really bad day.
Because Ahmad has it worse than you.
a filmmaker taking a look at a person we know in passing, or perhaps not at all
Quinoa19848 October 2009
It's an interesting thing to watch a director's early-career chronology out of order. I saw Chop Shop, a film Ramin Bahrani made a couple of years ago about orphans living in a wasteland of mechanics and car repairs, and loved its realistic look and feel and its touching story told through non-professional actors playing characters in risky and dire circumstances. His previous film- his debut- Man Push Cart, also has a realistic viewpoint, a sense of artistry with its cinematography but not so much as to lose the no-melodrama sense of its character in the world and what (little) happens with/to him. I was perhaps expecting a similar grim intensity, when it's really more observant, less about giving its character Ahmad drama to face when he really has enough behind him that he just has to push that cart. Sometimes doing the daily grind is enough to wear one's spirits down to a nub. Maybe that's what it's 'about'.
It's the simple saga of Ahmad, a Pakistani working at a food cart who we see continually, every early morning, push it around in order to sell food (bagels, coffee), and make friendships with another man, Mohammad, who recognizes Ahmad from his previous life in his native country as a singer, and Noemi, a Spanish girl who works at the newsstand. What makes Man Push Cart fascinating- if also quite depressing- is that it's protagonist is just a decent guy who has been dealt with some bad luck in his life (bad meaning loss of his early career, unable to see his son, and a dead wife), and a quiet reluctance to enter back into what he did before when asked by his new friend Mohammad who, as he says, "has connections". There's under-the-surface pain that the actor Ahmad Razvi conveys without having to force it. But we know there is pain, and heartbreak, and a desire to just make his meager living and go along with it.
So what happens in the film? Not much, really, which may frustrate some viewers even when it is shot tastefully on the dark streets and under-lit bars and acted with some talent. Well, there is a sort of story in Ahmad bringing a little happiness in his life with a stray kitten, which is something joyous and saddening. There is also the not-quite relationship between him and Noemi, where they simply enjoy each others company without saying to each other too soon why they aren't closer (then again, Ahmad mentions part of his backstory, and Noemi knows right away). But a lot of the film is just about the nature of observing a life being lived, one not extraordinary but not too boring. It's not quite at the level of a 'neorealist' effort like Chop Shop, and yet I wouldn't put it past anyone making the comparison. Sometimes we watch movies to escape in fantasy lives and archetypes. Other times, if necessary, we can watch in curiosity and sad awe at an existence like Ahmad's. It's a touching little film.
It's the simple saga of Ahmad, a Pakistani working at a food cart who we see continually, every early morning, push it around in order to sell food (bagels, coffee), and make friendships with another man, Mohammad, who recognizes Ahmad from his previous life in his native country as a singer, and Noemi, a Spanish girl who works at the newsstand. What makes Man Push Cart fascinating- if also quite depressing- is that it's protagonist is just a decent guy who has been dealt with some bad luck in his life (bad meaning loss of his early career, unable to see his son, and a dead wife), and a quiet reluctance to enter back into what he did before when asked by his new friend Mohammad who, as he says, "has connections". There's under-the-surface pain that the actor Ahmad Razvi conveys without having to force it. But we know there is pain, and heartbreak, and a desire to just make his meager living and go along with it.
So what happens in the film? Not much, really, which may frustrate some viewers even when it is shot tastefully on the dark streets and under-lit bars and acted with some talent. Well, there is a sort of story in Ahmad bringing a little happiness in his life with a stray kitten, which is something joyous and saddening. There is also the not-quite relationship between him and Noemi, where they simply enjoy each others company without saying to each other too soon why they aren't closer (then again, Ahmad mentions part of his backstory, and Noemi knows right away). But a lot of the film is just about the nature of observing a life being lived, one not extraordinary but not too boring. It's not quite at the level of a 'neorealist' effort like Chop Shop, and yet I wouldn't put it past anyone making the comparison. Sometimes we watch movies to escape in fantasy lives and archetypes. Other times, if necessary, we can watch in curiosity and sad awe at an existence like Ahmad's. It's a touching little film.
could be a trash! could be a masterpiece!... Depends on the viewer
Hash10027 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Man push cart is a movie of pain and realism. People hardly watch such movies now a days and find them boring because they are sick of their real life miseries and always looking for an escape in commercial and fantasy cinema. Here in this movie you will not see any of it but only your hard facts of life in a real type movie. This is even a very different genre in movies in my personal opinion and why is that? There is no such plot in the movie. It's a naked glance on the life of our 'hero' Ahmad in this portrayal. Anyone going to watch this movie should not expect a plot here but a true slap on our cruel world of the poor. A look on poor.
This movie will hold you as long as its running and you can guess that by the reviews of the people here who even grade this movie bellow or equal to 3 and didn't liked it but still made it till the end. So it's a catchy movie which will keeps you on the seat till the end with a lot of curiosity that what will happen to Ahmad. There's pain in this movie and a lot of it. While watching this drama I really felt bad for the guy. He was taking a whole world of pain, agony, hopelessness, suffering, in his soul and you will definitely feel it while watching. And this makes it a beauty to watch and a 'job done'.
This movie could have been much better as mentioned by few reviewers here. Yeah few things would have been great, if added. The first thing, the music! As it's a movie of a singer who's fighting the hard facts of life and at times fall in the memories of his glorious past as a singer so more good music should have been added to the scenes (though the sound track used in the movie is amazingly catchy and honestly as much sad as our hero in the movie is) but still a little glance on his past life as a singer would worked. But as we believe its not a commercial movie but just a portrayal of a character in his current situation so that might be the reason. The second thing 'to do' should have been the ending of the movie. Even if it's a movie of realism there should be a spoken message for the audience as not many of the viewers will understand such endings where you leave the viewer with a loads of pain and misery that what happened to our guy? Artistically it's a perfect ending as it gives you an intellectual perspective but as I said that gotta be for the limited class and not for the whole audience.
Over all it's a type of a movie that if you don't like you would just call it a trash but if you like it then you would love it. I loved it!
This movie will hold you as long as its running and you can guess that by the reviews of the people here who even grade this movie bellow or equal to 3 and didn't liked it but still made it till the end. So it's a catchy movie which will keeps you on the seat till the end with a lot of curiosity that what will happen to Ahmad. There's pain in this movie and a lot of it. While watching this drama I really felt bad for the guy. He was taking a whole world of pain, agony, hopelessness, suffering, in his soul and you will definitely feel it while watching. And this makes it a beauty to watch and a 'job done'.
This movie could have been much better as mentioned by few reviewers here. Yeah few things would have been great, if added. The first thing, the music! As it's a movie of a singer who's fighting the hard facts of life and at times fall in the memories of his glorious past as a singer so more good music should have been added to the scenes (though the sound track used in the movie is amazingly catchy and honestly as much sad as our hero in the movie is) but still a little glance on his past life as a singer would worked. But as we believe its not a commercial movie but just a portrayal of a character in his current situation so that might be the reason. The second thing 'to do' should have been the ending of the movie. Even if it's a movie of realism there should be a spoken message for the audience as not many of the viewers will understand such endings where you leave the viewer with a loads of pain and misery that what happened to our guy? Artistically it's a perfect ending as it gives you an intellectual perspective but as I said that gotta be for the limited class and not for the whole audience.
Over all it's a type of a movie that if you don't like you would just call it a trash but if you like it then you would love it. I loved it!
A boring Movie
kuchta-951-75672616 January 2011
The Film shows the boring life of the man push cart. He has no hope of changing his life. It is the same every day, repeating the same routine. He is unable to sort out his personal life because of his past. If something happens it ends as a disaster. The viewer of this movie is also waiting that something happens and that is the only suspense. The film is a bit boring. I suppose that is what the film director intends to convey. Viewing the movie is as boring as the life of Ahmad (the man push cart). The film ends as uneventful as it begins. The viewer (if he sees the film to the end) will think that he is lucky that his life ids different. I cannot recommend the film.
What goes up, must come down
tieman6419 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Ramin Bahrani writes and directs "Man Push Cart", the story of Ahmad Razvi, a young Pakistani-American street vendor who wakes up at 3am every morning to collect his thousand pound steel cart and drag it to a sales point in Manhattan. From this cart, Ahmad sells coffee, tea, muffins and bagels, though on the side he also sells bootlegged DVDs.
The film is a modern day Sisyphus tale, Ahmad, like a figure torn from the annals of Greek mythology, condemned to a life of endless and futile labour. When he's not chained to his cart, heaving its massive bulk through the busy streets of New York, Ahmad tends to an abandoned kitten, longs to see his son (who hardly remembers him and who lives with his maternal grandparents), mourns the death of his wife and frets over not being able to instigate a romantic relationship, let alone communicate, with a beautiful Spanish girl who works at a newsstand.
There are shades of early De Sisca, Visconti and Rossellini, "Man Push Cart" playing like a scrumptiously digital take on early neorealist films. Beyond this the film works well on at least three other levels, Bahrani serving up an affective tone-poem, and doing well to sustain an ambiance of affective despair. Precisely because he leaves out all references to the dangers that have dogged American Muslims and immigrants post 9/11, the film also has a certain political force, shining light on human faces many are quick to dismiss or deem alien. Mostly, though, the film works well as an exercise in existential minimalism. Ahmad's struggles are human and universal. Comparisons to Robert Bresson are therefore apt, though unlike Bresson's films, the absurdity, cruelty even, of Ahmad's travails never quite gets under your skin.
8/10 – Though an excellent film, this is a slight, one note movie, which perhaps overly romanticises its cast and its eye-popping city lights. See "Wendy and Lucy" and "Land of Plenty". Worth one viewing.
The film is a modern day Sisyphus tale, Ahmad, like a figure torn from the annals of Greek mythology, condemned to a life of endless and futile labour. When he's not chained to his cart, heaving its massive bulk through the busy streets of New York, Ahmad tends to an abandoned kitten, longs to see his son (who hardly remembers him and who lives with his maternal grandparents), mourns the death of his wife and frets over not being able to instigate a romantic relationship, let alone communicate, with a beautiful Spanish girl who works at a newsstand.
There are shades of early De Sisca, Visconti and Rossellini, "Man Push Cart" playing like a scrumptiously digital take on early neorealist films. Beyond this the film works well on at least three other levels, Bahrani serving up an affective tone-poem, and doing well to sustain an ambiance of affective despair. Precisely because he leaves out all references to the dangers that have dogged American Muslims and immigrants post 9/11, the film also has a certain political force, shining light on human faces many are quick to dismiss or deem alien. Mostly, though, the film works well as an exercise in existential minimalism. Ahmad's struggles are human and universal. Comparisons to Robert Bresson are therefore apt, though unlike Bresson's films, the absurdity, cruelty even, of Ahmad's travails never quite gets under your skin.
8/10 – Though an excellent film, this is a slight, one note movie, which perhaps overly romanticises its cast and its eye-popping city lights. See "Wendy and Lucy" and "Land of Plenty". Worth one viewing.
a piece of a life
SnoopyStyle9 August 2021
Ahmad pushes a food cart in Manhattan. To most, he's just another nameless Pakistani immigrant. He's struggling to make money with various odd jobs. He was actually a famous rock star back in Pakistan. After the death of his wife, he is desperate to reunite with his son. He falls for a Spanish girl who started working at a nearby newspaper stand.
This is a compelling indie of a piece of a life. It's universal. It's personal. It's full of pathos, empathy, and the general striving for more. It's the striving for dignity, for family, and for a place in the world. It is sad and wonderous all at the same time.
This is a compelling indie of a piece of a life. It's universal. It's personal. It's full of pathos, empathy, and the general striving for more. It's the striving for dignity, for family, and for a place in the world. It is sad and wonderous all at the same time.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
