| | |  | PAKISTAN | Home » » Man Push Cart | | | | | | | Description: | | Every night when the city sleeps, Ahmad, a Pakistani immigrant, drags his heavy cart through the streets of New York. And every morning, he sells coffee and doughnuts to a city he cannot call his own. One day, however, the pattern of this harsh existence is broken by a glimmer of hope for a better life. | | | Features: | |
• Every night while the city sleeps, Ahmad, a Pakistani immigrant, drags his heavy cart along the streets of New York. And every morning, he sells coffee and donuts to a city he cannot call his own. One day, however, the pattern of this harsh existence is broken by a glimmer of hope for a better life. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR Age: 741952313694 UPC: 741
| | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Ahmad Razvi, Leticia Dolera, Charles Daniel Sandoval, Ali Reza, Farooq 'Duke' Muhammad | | Director:
| Ramin Bahrani | | Format:
| Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC | | Language:
| English, Urdu | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Koch Lorber Films | | Run Time:
| 87 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| October 09, 2007 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 17 reviews |
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Average Customer Review:
 ( 17 customer reviews )
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19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
 Marvelous portrait of modern immigrant lifeDec 02, 2007
By DJ Joe Sixpack
"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)
14 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 Love or MoneyOct 14, 2007
By "Rocky Raccoon"
"Hey, Doc, It's Only a Scratch!"
'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.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Unrelentingly Sad, But Perhaps Still WorthwhileJun 22, 2009
By Irfan A. Alvi
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.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Too Many Unanswered Questions...Jun 17, 2009
By R. Gawlitta
"Coolmoan"
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...
7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
a classic portraitOct 14, 2007
By Compusurge
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'.
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