#1066: BAHRANI, Ramin: Man Push Cart (2005)

BAHRANI, Ramin (United States)
Man Push Cart [2005]
Spine #1066
Blu-ray


A modest miracle of twenty-first-century neorealism, the acclaimed debut feature by Ramin Bahrani speaks quietly but profoundly to the experiences of those living on the margins of the American dream. Back in his home country of Pakistan, Ahmad (Ahmad Razvi, elements of whose own life story were woven into the script) was a famous rock star. Now a widower separated from his son and adrift in New York, he works long hours selling coffee and bagels from a midtown Manhattan food cart, engaged in a Sisyphean search for human connection and a sense of purpose that seems perpetually just out of reach. A rare immigrant's-eye view of a post-9/11 city suffused with subtle paranoia and xenophobia, Man Push Cart gives at once empathetic and clear-eyed expression to the everyday drama of human endurance.

87 minutes
Color
Stereo
in English and Urdu
1:78:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2021
Director/Writer


Ramin Bahrani was 30 when he wrote and directed Man Push Cart.

Other Bahrani films in the Collection:

#1067: Chop Shop (2007)

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twelve-page wraparound featuring an essay by critic Bilge Ebiri.

Commentary

From 2005 featuring Bahrani, DP Michael Simmonds, assistant director Nicholas Elliott, and actor Razvi.

Conversation 1

Among Bahrani, Elliott, and Razvi on the making of the film.

Conversation 2

Between Bahrani and scholar Hamid Dabashi on the origins of the film and Bahrani’s cinematic influences.

Short film

Backgammon, from 1998 by Bahrani.

Trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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