Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Man Push Cart Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 2, 2021

If you’ve ever either lived in or simply just visited New York City, you probably know that one of the more enjoyable aspects of walking around various neighborhoods is the glut of street vendors, many of whom offer incredible ethnic food and drink. I haven’t been to Manhattan since a certain pandemic devastated things, but my hunch is very few purveyors of food cart edibles and potables are still out there hawking their goods, at least for the time being. For those wanting a little trip to the "before (Covid) times", Man Push Cart is an exercise in “minimalist” cinema focusing on one such food cart operator, and it’s a film with a definite verité ambience that might be described, as in fact it is described in the commentary included on this disc as a supplement, as being “observational”. That aspect may mean that the story is not filled with “traditional” conflict or character development, but it also means that Man Push Cart is an unusually engrossing "slice of life" effort that becomes surprisingly powerful due to its very "simplicity".

At the time of its theatrical release over the course of about a year between 2005 and 2006 (owing to early festival screenings), several prominent critics compared the travails of Pakastani immigrant Ahmad (Ahmad Razvi) to Sisyphus, though it might be salient to point out that, despite the film's title, Ahmad, if he were Sisyphus, might be pulling that boulder up the hill, which may in fact be a more accurate representation of some of the difficulties Ahmad faces in the film. It turns out that Ahmad had been a popular rock star, but he's been consigned to operating a cart that dispenses coffee and bagels in The Big Apple.

There's an undeniable melancholy to this film, not just in the issues that Ahmad has to face, but perhaps in the entire context of New York City during this period. The film takes place in an era arguably still scarred from the events of September 11, 2001, and therefore also arguably not all that receptive to immigrants of Ahmad's general "appearance". But despite a certain sadness permeating the film, there's also a steely sense of resilience, which may however improbably suffuse the story with at least glimmers of hope.

While there is definitely a narrative through line here, and one that ultimately becomes rather moving, Man Push Cart may be best appreciated as a character study of a man who has experienced a fair degree of success and a fair degree of personal tragedy, and is attempting to find his balance in some kind of precarious Purgatory called Manhattan. A kind of slightly smarmy yuppie type named Mohammed (Charles Daniel Sandoval) is a regular customer at the cart and turns out to recognize Ahmad from his rock star days, promising both interim work and the connections to launch an American music career, but the subtext clearly defines what a pipe dream this probably is. Even what might be a tradtional romantic angle in any other film, with Ahmad getting to know another kiosk operator named Noemi (Leticia Dolera), doesn't develop the way some might expect, perhaps due at least in part to some revelations about Ahmad's past the film almost discursively delivers.

If there's an undeniably lo-fi ambience to the film, including some performance from non-professionals that might fall into the "not quite ready for prime time" category, Man Push Cart offers some rare insight into what it's like to feel like an outsider in a calamitous time. There's a feeling of almost stifling solitude that is emphasized by all of the early morning and late night shots where Ahmad is both figuratively and literally surrounded by darkness.

Man Push Cart Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Man Push Cart is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Criterion only set a check disc for purposes of this review, and so I'm not privy to any information about the transfer contained in the insert booklet, but Criterion's website mentions that this is a "High-definition digital master, supervised and approved by director Ramin Bahrani, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray". Several online sources state this was digitally captured with a Sony CineAlta, but the prevalence of dark settings can lead to a gritty and at times arguably slightly noisy appearance, as can probably be gleaned from several of the screenshots accompanying this review. In better lighting conditions, the imagery is decently detailed, if still occasionally on the fuzzy side. Fine detail on things like Ahmad's ribbed sweater can be quite precise looking. The palette looks skewed just slightly toward blues at times, but on the whole looks natural. Despite the prevalence of really dark sequences throughout the film, I noticed no major compression anomalies.

Man Push Cart Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Man Push Cart features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in English, though there are occasional moments in what I'm assuming is Urdu, with optional English subtitles (see screenshot 16). The track provides good engagement of the side and rear channels in the glut of outdoor material where the bustling urban environment of New York City, even in the wee hours of the morning or the slowdowns of late night, can still offer a wealth of background ambient sounds. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout and there are no problems with regard to damage or distortion. Optional English subtitles are available.

Man Push Cart Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Ramin Bahrani, director of photography Michael Simmonds, assistant director Nicholas Elliott and actor Ahmad Razvi. This is definitely on the conversational, maybe even downright chatty, side, but it's a fun listen.


• The Formation of a Filmmaker (1080p; 19:22) is a 2020 conversation between Ramin Bahrani and critic Hamid Dabashi, who was one of Bahrani's professors at Columbia University. This provides some interesting background on both Bahrani and the film itself.


• Against All Odds: Making Man Push Cart (1080p; 24:40) is another 2020 conversation, this one between Ramin Bahrani, assistant director Nicholas Elliott and actor Ahmad Razvi, with the trio reminiscing about the shoot.


• Backgammon (1080p; 11:50) is a 1998 short by Ramin Bahrani that references his Persian heritage.


• Trailer (1080p; 1:58)

Criterion only sent a check disc for purposes of this review, and so I'm not privy to any information contained in an insert booklet, but their website references an essay by critic Bilge Ebiri.

Man Push Cart Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As many have mentioned through the years, there's a neorealist slant to Man Push Cart that is quite visceral at times, even if the film tends to amble, and perhaps occasionally even stumble, along. The story is on the oppressive side at times, but that actually is part of its power. Video is a little gritty and fuzzy at times, as can be seen in some of the screenshots accompanying this review, but audio is often nicely immersive, and as usual with Criterion releases, the supplementary package is very well done. Recommended.