Reminding us that for many, something as simple as a bike can guarantee or raze someone’s survival, Milad Tangshir’s fiction feature debut is a bold nod to Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 classic Bicycle Thieves and heralds a courageous and striking cinematic voice.
Issa (Ibrahima Sambou) is a young undocumented immigrant from Senegal living in Turin, Italy. He is doing his best to survive — and send money home — in a bustling city that in countless ways renders him invisible. Moreover, he’s living in a hostile landscape, in which people in his precarious position are at the whims of international politics and at the mercy of whomever they face.
Fired by his previous employer, Issa finds work as a food-delivery rider, thanks to a kind friend (Moussa Dicko Diango). The arduous job requires the employee to provide their own means of transport, and soon Issa’s newly gained stability collapses when, during a drop-off, the bicycle he has just spent all his money on is stolen. Determined to overcome yet another challenge, Issa immediately embarks on an uphill odyssey through the city streets to recover his means of transport and survival. Luckily, moments of reprieve find tenderhearted Issa, as he moves through the city with distinguished grace, including an encounter with a fellow migrant (Success Edemakhiota) that brings glimmers of beauty and reminds the viewer of the best of humanity.
For his powerful debut fiction feature, Tehran-born director Milad Tangshir shows us that for many, something as simple as a bike can guarantee or raze someone’s survival. Shattering and unforgettable, Anywhere Anytime is a bold nod to Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 classic Bicycle Thieves, that heralds a courageous and striking cinematic voice.
DOROTA LECH
Content advisory: violence, homophobic/racist/transphobic language
Screenings
Scotiabank 7
Scotiabank 3
Scotiabank 9
Scotiabank 6