hfz 89 (hfz89)

If you hustle through the crowded streets of New York City, you might catch a push cart or ten. A polite man, nothing out of the ordinary, will greet you and gladly fulfill your requests. He hands you your bagel with cream cheese and thanks you. You continue on your way. This film is about that seemingly nothing-out-of-the-ordinary man. Ahmad was once a Pakistani rock star. Now he sells donuts. Stricken with grief over the death of his wife and unable to make ends meet in order to live with his son, when he isn't shoving his push cart or selling bootleg DVDs he wanders the streets with nothing but a thin wallet and a heavy tank, more than just its weight tugging at his shoulders. His luck may change, however, when he meets a beautiful Spanish girl and a wealthy Pakistani man who recognizes him as the rock star he once was -- and a business opportunity. Inspired by "The Myth of Sisyphus," we are taken into a melancholic character study of a foreigner's constant struggle to move forward. If Ahmad's situation isn't enough to get you down then the brooding soundtrack will. Man Push Cart is that film that leaves you feeling guilty after viewing -- and even more guilty for having ignored.