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.

I was excited to see this film after reading a little about it on my Netflix suggestion list. As a native New Yorker who knows the perfection of a cart cup of coffee and bagel every morning, I was really ready to dive in ...And I tried, I promise ... I tried.Yea, it is great to see NY if you're not from the City. Sure it is great to see a real humble working man (all the cart workers here are amazingly hardworking -- and many, the ones who have the regulars, are well-loved and appreciated for being right where you'd expect them and when) -- but ... boy did I need a plot, some dialog, a better look into some back story, ugh, anything -something - in the end, all I was left with was a craving for my morning bagel and coffee.Finally ... a young attractive single woman in a news stand, alone, in Midtown ... come on, man ... not likely.

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

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.