2006 / Ramin Bahrani > With a mood similar to a Hou Hsiao-Hsien film, Bahrani almost pulled off a coup of sorts here: He nails the loneliness, the colors, the feel of the city, but ultimately fails to stay true to its nature. Man Push Cart, ironically, should be called Man Pull Cart as we rarely see our protagonist push it, but that’s excusable. What’s not are the pretty girl at the newsstand and the absolutely preposterous climactic sequence. It’s a joke to someone familiar with the churns of the city, and complicates the film even if put in a metaphorical context. The potential here was enormous, but the film ended up getting carried away in its own little world with absolute disregard to the viewer.