Man Push Cart (2006)

In Greek mythology Sysyphus was a king who was punished by the gods; his punishment was to roll a boulder up a hill only to watch it roll down again, then repeat, for eternity. This legend was the inspiration for Ramin Bahrani who wrote/produced/directed the film Man Push Cart. This film, shot over the span of three weeks, is a neo-realist romp through the days of a working class New Yorker who spends most of his working day before most city-dwellers greet the day with
their doubleFrappucino.

The story is of a Pakistani man who once knew fame as a musician in Pakistan. After choosing the woman he loved over his career he moved to New York City and made a living with a push cart, selling tea, coffee, and bagels. We join Ahmed (the
aforementioned protagonist) a few years after his immigration. His wife has died and her embittered family does not allow him to see his son. It should be noted that these bits ofback story are conveyed in almost a minute of screen time. Drama and narrative are relinquished to small cameos in this film.

Most scenes are of Ahmed lugging his cart through the city streets and doing
what he has to do to make a living. A possible love interest rears its ugly head but tragically it can not be because for this working man getting by and trying to make a living so he can one day have his son is a full time job.

It is ironic that an ancient myth was the inspiration for this type of film which I would claim is a signpost toward new cinema. Innovation in movies will not come fromCGI and it will not come from new ways to blow shit up. It will come from movies
that do not rely on narrative to pull their audience through a film. Man Push Cart uses its minimalist aesthetic to simply hint at an emotion. Eventually,from frame to frame, the hints register in the mind of the viewer. They begin to create their own narratives and perspectives. Watching this movie makes you remember the people you
once bought coffee from, the person who sweeps the sidewalks you walk,the man who picks up the trash you throw out.

Of course this is only my opinion, but the true art of film resides in the hazy arena
where meaning is revolving and evolving. This is not the perfect example of what I am referring to as new cinema (the best of which are coming out of Iran and Taiwan). But, regardless of any pretentious claims I may make as to a hierarchy of movies, Man Push Cart is a solid film and something different that has meandered unnoticed through the city streets of commercial film.