November 2006Issue 395



Man Push Cart

Ahmad, a Pakistani, makes a living selling bagels and coffee from a Manhattan street cart. He gets up in the early hours, stocks his cart, pushes it through the streets to his pitch. His customers are chatty, friendly, but no-one, and sadly not the established and successful Pakistani Americans he meets, has any idea how he lives, consumed by work for 15 hours or more each day.

Iranian-American director Bahrani, in the best tradition of Iranian cinema, superbly handles the routines and rhythms of everyday life. Although Ahmad’s back story is too sketchily done, this is a simple but telling tale.

Product information
written and directed by Ramin Bahrani
Star rating
***

Malcolm Lewis




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