Man Push Cart (2005)

I had time to watch one final movie for this year and decade. I'm glad I choose Man Push Cart. It's a heartbreaking New York story, about a Pakistani immigrant, once a popular musician in his native country, now struggling to survive by selling coffee and bagels beginning every morning at 3AM. It's a film that avoids excesses, instead quiet and relying on its simplicity. However, it does have an emotional wallop, and for those who have passed down New York City streets, as I have, there are rare moments of familiarity that are touching in their frankness. Leticia Dolera was fantastic as Noemi, a Spanish immigrant working temporarily at her family's newsstand. She befriends our central character Ahmad, although their relationship is more conflicted and layered than you might guess. Director Ramin Bahrani invokes the nuance of the best of Italian neo-realism in a wonderful film about sacrifice, responsibility, and commitment.