Customer Reviews

Man Push Cart

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

"Man Push Cart" is a very sad movie, though not entirely bleak or depressing. It is the story of Ahmad, a Pakistani man who has immigrated to America and struggles to get ahead while working as a push-cart street vendor. Much of the movie is taken up with long, slow shots of his actual, physical struggle -- Ahmad is renting his cart and doesn't have enough money for a car, so he has to pull the cart across busy New York city streets in the pre-dawn hours, as traffic starts to pick up. Midday, when his coffee and bagels have been sold, he hauls the cart back to the garage, wanders around midtown Manhattan for a while, then takes the subway back to a tiny apart in the outer borroughs, where he briefly sleeps, only to get up at 3:00am and start his daily routine all over again.

The film defies may expectations and cliches... To begin with, Ahmad didn't come to America to "get ahead": as we slowly learn a part of his history, we discover that he was once a popular musician in Pakistan, and that he emigrated here to follow the woman he loved. The story of their marriage and its end is Ahmad's great tragedy, but we are never given the whole story, only glimpses into the past, and the film also never explains Ahmad's reluctance to be a musician again. He never likes talking about it, and when his new acquaintances discover that he was once a famous performer, he simply demurs and avoids discussing it. Others sing in this film, but Ahmad does not. His reluctance talk about himself is explained obliquely -- in one scene, we see him hanging out with some friends, listening impassively as one man trots another in front of a crowd of barflies and insists that he "Tell your story! Tell your story!" For whatever reason, Ahmad doesn't want his life to be reduced to just another story that's told around the bar, as if cataloging his experience would reduce it to nothingness, or wrest control of his own story away from him. He already put himself on display, back in Pakistan, and now, here in America, he chooses to just live his life, not share it with strangers.

Although "Man Push Cart" is a powerful, subtle depictation of the modern immigrant experience, it is also an important commentary on the current climate of "reality"-based media, where average people aspire to be seen on TV, and have their tiniest flaws projected across the landscape of popular culture. Ahmad, who once had actual fame, let go of it for love, and now finding himself at the bottom heap of society, chooses to stay there, anonymous and self-contained. He is not a happy man, but in a strange way, he seems contented.

Apparently his character is being reprised in director Ramin Bahrani's next film, "Chop Shop." Whether more of Ahmad's past will be revealed is uncertain; in some ways, I hope it remains unknown. At any rate, this is a very good film, which you will find engrossing from start to finish. The parts of the story that are unresolved or unknown are actually its greatest strengths, and one of the elements that make this film so distinctive. Highly recommended! (Slipcue film reviews)

'Man Push Cart' is an absorbing slice-of-life movie. Many accolades have been heaped upon it, but it's availablity has been obscure for so long, which is a real shame. I have to admit that I was suspicious from the previews that it would be one of those "noble" entries one finds that becomes drawn out and tedious. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find how accessible and enjoyable this film really is.

Ahmad (Ahmad Razvi) is a typical immigrant protagonist. Coming from Pakistan, he lives and works in New York City, the quintessential immigrant city: One that's filled with opportunity as well as bewildering urban bustle and stress. Like many with ingenuity, he has his own business. He's a street vendor who sells hot beverages to commuters on a busy city street. The portrait of him and his life unfolds along the way in ways that are engaging and colorful.

Soon we find out that he has come to the one year anniversary of his wife's death, and he has been estranged to his son, Sajjad, whom his inlaws have custody. He is a hard worker, like so many immigrants, and this initiative pays off with one customer who hires him to do some work on an apartment. It is during this liason that we learn that Ahmad was famous previously, but I won't divulge the nature here. However, this new business associate gets him some new business for which he was famous, and from here he meets a lovely Spanish immigrant (Leticia Dolera) who becomes his new love interest.

He does what he can, but he seems to have to choose between love and money, welfare and family along the way. He has a friend named Muhammad (Charles Daniel Sandoval) who checks up on him, and from their conversations we pick up on their lives. Reflecting on making ends meet Ahmad says, "[It] Gets harder for people like you and me...What I need to do, I'll do." What makes 'Man Push Cart' so worthwhile is the intimate view of his struggles and motivations--what makes him tick and the decisions he makes to have a better life.

Complications develop and some of the movie borrows a bit from Italy's classic 'The Bicycle Thief,' but the story is so authentically presented that it feels like a documentary of real people than it does a movie rehash. The direction by Ramin Bahrani is excellent for making us walk in the shoes of Ahmad and feel the struggle of his journey.

I thought that "Chop Shop" was among the best movies I've ever seen, so watching "Man Push Cart" seemed to be a logical next step.

The two movies are similar, but there's a key difference: while both movies vividly and poignantly depict the struggles of people in the bottom stratum of society (particularly in urban environments), "Chop Shop" manages to weave in some vitally uplifting elements, whereas "Man Push Cart" is unrelentingly bleak.

I came away from the movie feeling rather sad about the hopeless and perhaps even dehumanizing life represented by the lead character, and I can't think of any lessons I could glean from the movie, other than remembering to have empathy for those less fortunate and to appreciate my own circumstances ... having just said that, maybe these lessons aren't so minor after all? In any case, although this movie isn't a masterpiece like "Chop Shop," I'm still giving "Man Push Cart" four stars because it at least masterfully depicts what it (presumably) intended to depict.

As far as whether I can recommend the movie, that's hard to say. If you're looking for a movie which is at all uplifting, perhaps look elsewhere. If you liked "Chop Shop," maybe give it a try, but keep in mind that "Chop Shop" is far superior (in my opinion). And if you're still not sure, I'd say go ahead and watch the movie; even if you feel sad at the end, the movie provides a powerful experience which is probably worth having.

10/1/09 Amendment: This is among a very small group of movies that continued to powerfully affect me months after I watched them. The Amazon system doesn't let me change my rating, but I wanted to note that I now consider this to be a 5-star movie which I highly recommend.

This fine, fondly made film certanly made a mark with many, nominated for many awards by the Indies; most notably a nomination for the wonderful Ahmad Razvi as Best Actor. His character has issues, none of which is addressed, but he's trying to scratch out a life in his adopted country. This is America, he cries, which is supposed to be the answer to his dreams and quash his past memories. Unfortunately, his past is only referred to, and we really don't know the real Ahmad, except that he has powerful integrity. I was riveted by the trials and tribulations, but there was only a surface explanation of the man's intense motivations, and very little mention of the tragedy regarding his wife and son. The Indies also nominated it for cinematography, but the film is mostly shot at night, and it was difficult to see most of what was going on; maybe it was only my DVD player. The whole ordeal ended with no resolve, which may have been the intention; perhaps the idea that people come here for release or escape. To forget... Regardless, the film may be many things, but Ahmad's character needed a resolve that wasn't there. I liked him. I would like to know if he was happy...

Over the years, certain films dig in and tell an insightful story that enlightens viewers about an ethnic group or an ethnic experience that in the end turns the film into a classic. Man Push Cart is one of these films.

Telling the story of a Pakistani man who comes to NYC, after being a rock star in his home town, the film centers on what it is like to be a push cart man in a city that still has push carts as a major part of every day life. It's a tough existence, and Man Push Cart details it well while it also portraits the man's personal life and his hopes for a better one as well.

Dramatically well produced, Man Push Cart is not light fare. It's a deep and insightful film that is well worth the view whether you are into NYC life, Pakistani life or the life of the many Push Cart peddlers that work hard day in and day out to survive in a city that does not make it easy.

I highly recommend this film for all who like to 'think'.

There's been a lot of discussion on this movie about the bleak, Sisyphean nature of Ahmad the food cart vendor's life and what it tells us about making a living as an immigrant floating somewhere on the margins of American society. I agree that Ahmad works very hard for very little. He toils away at a literally back-breaking job (lacking a car, he pulls his cart to and from his corner every day), hustles bootleg porn for a few extra dollars, and at the end of the day, it still feels like two steps forward, one step back. Of course Ahmad is overwhelmed. Of course he's depressed, lonely, frustrated, and seemingly suffocated with exhaustion.

This isn't, however, just a film about the hard-won futility of immigrant life; this is a film about grief. Why does Ahmad push his cart and his porn, day in and day out? Yeah, he needs to save up money so that he can afford to have his son live with him again. Yeah, he's a recent immigrant in New York City trying to get a foothold on a new life. But I think that Ahmad doesn't simply work through this grind because he has no other choice. He's a famous singer back in Pakistan, young, good-looking, smart, and fluent in English. In the film, he has a few opportunities to improve his situation and bungles them. Ahmad is not just constrained by socieconomic forces. He is constrained by his grief over losing his wife.

The melodramatic view of grief is that it disrupts the flow of everyday life; Ahmad should be shooting up, trying to kill himself, or at least not showing up for work on time. The more realistic expression of grief, however, is that not knowing what else to do in the face of substantial loss, we can only think to do what we already know. It's a coping mechanism, and more than just being an immigrant trying to get by, Ahmad is a grief-stricken widow stuck on autopilot. Even if he could let go of his grief, he might not want to. What else does he have left of his life with his wife besides this cart and the routine they once shared operating it?

That said, this movie fleshes out these ideas better than any other I've seen in awhile, in a style that's stark, minimalistic, and yet realistically nuanced. I felt like the friend who happened to be standing nearby as scenes unfold and picking up on all the stuff that makes us glance away uneasily: the ambivalent body language, the tense innuendos, the ethical gray matter of social conflicts. This is a wonderfully perceptive movie; not an uplifting one, and honestly, not an easy one to watch, but wonderfully perceptive.

(As a bonus, watch out for other little behavioral snapshots this movie captures really well. Two of my personal favorites: the tense, uneasy stares of New Yorkers waiting for coffee on a cold workday morning, and the swagger of young city Desis.)

This small film about a Pakistani street vendor in Manhattan packs a big emotional wallop. A quiet man of few words, Ahmad (Ahmad Razvi) seems imprisoned in his little coffee and bagel stand among elegant shops, going home nights to a little apartment in Brooklyn. Pulling the stand each pre-dawn morning cross town from the West Side and then back again at the end of the day, in the relentless flow of noisy traffic, he is (as director Ramin Bahrani points out in the commentary) like Sisyphus of Greek legend - endlessly repeating a heavy labor to keep complete meaninglessness at bay. There are only hints of back story to account for the look of defeat on his face, and only a few moments with a woman who works at a sidewalk newstand nearby that seem to trigger yearning for something new and hopeful in his life. Meanwhile, when he is extended a helping hand by a fellow Pakistani with a high-paying job and enough income for an apartment in town and a house in Westchester County, Ahmad experiences a kind of confusion that only reinforces his isolation.

The camera, editing, and sound are done with all the sensitivity and control of the real cinephiles that the filmmakers seem to be. Shot in what the director calls an "observational" style, the film looks very much like a documentary, images caught on the fly with long lenses and scenes between characters often played out in single takes. Filmed in 30 days in the weeks before Christmas, "Man Push Cart" captures the chill and gloomy mid-day shadows of approaching winter in Manhattan. Much of the footage on the street involves nonactors who didn't know they were being filmed (signing releases only afterwards). Director Bahrani and two of his crew with actor Razvi provide an interesting commentary on the DVD that should be an inspiration to young low-budget filmmakers. Their film shows what dedication, inventiveness, love of the medium, and talent can achieve.

Man Push Cart is a fascinating and brilliantly executed film that paints the portrait of a man in excruciating emotional pain from his inner demons and his not so happy interpersonal relationships. The plot flows along at a good pace and although many details are left out it never really seems to make a difference; at the end I truly felt that I knew the man working at that push cart every day and the conclusion, although somewhat abrupt, was stills satisfying since, after all, life isn't necessarily neatly tied up at the ends. The cinematography and the choreography are excellent; and the casting was thoughtfully done--the acting is very convincing, too. In addition, I liked the script.

When the film starts, we meet the incredibly lonely and depressed Ahmad (Ahmad Razvi) who came with his wife from Pakistan a few years prior. (The plot leads us to believe that Ahmad came to America to follow the woman he loved.) During the film we only find out that she is now dead and that her parents, Ahmad's former in-laws, blame him for her death as if it were possibly some sort of accident. Ahmad's relationship with his very young son isn't that great; and the boy's maternal grandparents have very likely influenced the young boy to not want his father in his life.

Ahmad, who was a rock star back in Pakistan, now ekes out a living by operating a push cart which he is slowly making installments on to buy from another immigrant. It all is very bleak; but one day Ahmad makes friends with the rather wealthy Mohammad (Charles Daniel Sandoval) who tries to help him get back into the music business although Ahmad is strangely ambivalent at best, even though the money would help him try to get his son back from his former in-laws. We also see Ahmad start a somewhat awkward romance with a young Spanish girl, Noemi (Leticia Dolera).

In addition, look for excellent performances by all including Ali Reza as Manish and Arun Lal as Ahmad's father-in-law.

The DVD has two short films by writer/director Ramin Bahrani; but these are the only extras we get. There are no extras directly related to Man Push Cart.

I recommend Man Push Cart for fans of drama, independent drama and/or the immigrant experience in America; you won't forget this film anytime soon.

As a New Yorker, I thought I would really enjoy this story about a push cart vendor in the city. I see these guys everywhere and have regular vendors I buy things from and I thought this movie would not only realistically depict their life but also my city. Sadly I was mistaken. First of all, most of the movie was so dark that often it was impossible to see what was going on. Yes, the lead character Ahmad did start his days at 3 a.m but by the time he got to work, it was much later in the morning when the sun actually does come up in the city, even in the month before Christmas. But watching this film you would never know that, since almost all the outdoor shots are at night. Perhaps it was cheaper to film then, but besides showing an inaccurate view of NY, it also made it difficult to see much of the action.

In addition, so much of what was going didn't really make sense. We don't get enough of the background of the protagonist to know what his motivations are, and when we do see things, there isn't enough explanation. Without wanting to explain the character's unfathomable behavior which leads to the climax, either no explanation was given (or I missed it) about how he ended up working in a club, taking tickets, or his mother-in-law's extreme antagonism toward him, for instance. I'm sure that many of these push cart vendors in NYC have difficult lives, but this movie neither illuminated fully their life in general or of the main character's in particular. It was a disappointment

Slight, simple, but genuinely moving, and astoundingly beautiful
visually for a ultra low budget film shot in 3 weeks on the streets of
New York.

A Pakistani immigrant tries to make a living selling bagels and coffee
from a little stand he pushes around and dreams of buying.

That's really the whole story.

But subtly, fragment by fragment, we get glimpses into his life, his
back-story, etc. It's life in bits and pieces adding up to a greater,
much more powerful whole than the sum of it's parts would suggest.

A lovely complex look at the kind of un-glamorous character we too
rarely see in our films.

A side note; if you are at all impressed by director Bahrani's work, I'd
strongly suggest you search out his wonderful short film "Plastic Bag"
which is viewable on YouTube, and other sites on the web (a quick
google will find it). He teamed up with the great Werner Herzog (who
narrates) to tell the first person story of the life of an unwanted plastic
bag in a film that is visually beautiful, very funny, and very sad.
One of the best, non-preachy films on ecology I've ever seen, it
feels like this generation's answer to the classic short "The Red Balloon"