Review of Man Push Cart (2006) by Prasad P — 25 Sep 2011
A stunning debut by filmmaker Ramin Bahrani, hailed by critic Roger Ebert as the 'next great American director'. Bahrani tells human stories about people displaced physically and culturally, and seems to reach under the cloak of existence to shine a light on characters eking out a living on the fringe, bringing into his canvas poverty, desperation, pride, hope and survival, compositing them into an essential portrait of the immigrant experience.
In a beautifully understated performance, Ahmad Razvi plays Ahmad, a former Pakistani rock star now making a living in New York out of a push cart, selling bagels. He lives a life of quiet desperation, selling porn DVDs on the side, trying to catch a break that he knows won't come.
It is never really explained why he left his native land, where he was famous, to come to New York, but Bahrani's style and quiet observation of the life of his protagonist allows us the emotional satisfaction of deep empathy with Ahmad and his bittersweet, sad existence.
His grainy, almost quasi-documentary style camerawork allows us to bear witness to this character study, and leave with the indelible mark of meeting someone new and sharing in their failed quest for a better life.
A wonderful, moving indie gem from one of America's most gifted directors.
This review of Man Push Cart (2006) was written by Prasad P on 25 Sep 2011.
Man Push Cart has generally received positive reviews.
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