The film Man Push Cart portrays a harsh cycle of life that many immigrants are faced with. A cycle of hard work, long hours, meager pay, and scrapping by on odd jobs epitomizes the life of a new immigrant in America. Ahmed is a Pakistani immigrant who was a rock star back in Pakistan. The film begins with Ahmed’s daily life: waking up at three o’clock in the morning, traveling from Brooklyn to Manhattan, dragging his food cart from the depot to his corner, selling foods and drinks, dragging the cart back, and spending an hour on the train back to Brooklyn. Every now and then Ahmed also works an odd job to earn a little cash. One time he walked around selling DVD’s, and another he did some handy work for his acquaintance Mohamed. As the film progresses Ahmed becomes more and more successful. He gathers enough money to finish paying off the food cart he bought. Mohamed hires Ahmed to do lots of handy work around his house and Ahmed meets a nice Spanish girl that he comes to like. Ahmed’s wife passed away about a year earlier and he has been separated from his son. Early on in the film Ahmed was not able to see his son but later on he has a meaningful visit with him. At the climax of all this good fortune it all falls apart. Ahmed becomes very irritated with his side jobs and they often interfere with his ability to work at his food cart. The Spanish girl whom he likes returns to Spain and his relationship with Mohamed blows up. To make matters worse, Ahmed’s cart is stolen and there are no means of getting it back. In addition to the depressed atmosphere depicted by the plot, many of the set designs are rough, rigid, and dark. There is a lot of dim lighting and the settings are dirty. These factors contribute to the gloomy atmosphere in the film.

The film is very well done and clearly lays out its argument. The argument of the film is very valid and relevant, and is clearly addressed. The content of the film is quite accurate and realistic. For example, the food cart on the street corner and the poverty immigrants suffer. It is well organized in regards to depicting the lifestyle, income level, social status, identity, and housing of immigrants. The details and content make the argument very compelling. However, the argument is very limited in scope as the film is focused on one specific immigrant and does not relate to the broader immigrant community. To strengthen the argument, the film should have expanded its focus to incorporate the lives or status of other immigrant groups. The film also does not mention anything about the laws and services that have been created to help immigrants. Discussing how they affect the lives of immigrants for the better or worse would expand the range of the argument. The film used the food cart as a symbol of assimilation and loss of identity. Coffee and baked goods represent the typical American morning and are the focus of the lead character’s life. Expanding the use of food to discuss the problems faced by immigrants would have also improved the film.

This film touches upon many of the current immigration topics. It depicts the loss of cultural identity, assimilation, and immigration. The lead character used to be a rock star in Pakistan but he considers himself to be a typical average immigrant trying to survive in America. Partnered with this loss of identity is his assimilation into American culture. Educators can use the film as a tool to teach people about the lives of new immigrants. It also sheds light to the general public about the harsh conditions and limitations that immigrants live through. There are various other modes of media and academia that speak about these issues, but there is one specific advantage that this film has to them: it is relatable. Buying coffee from a food cart operated by an immigrant is common and the lifestyle that immigrants live is known and understood. Such factors make the film relatable to people. People may feel more inclined to act or acknowledge the strength of many immigrants who struggle to survive in America because people are accustomed to being in contact with such people.

Rating: 3.5/5