The Cyclist (1989)

Synopsis: Director Mohsen Makhmalbaf has earned a reputation as one of Iran's greatest filmmakers; his movies display a fantastic visual flair while confronting a variety of serious social issues. Makmalbaf tackles the issues of poverty and the way that men exploit one another in this arresting and... Director Mohsen Makhmalbaf has earned a reputation as one of Iran's greatest filmmakers; his movies display a fantastic visual flair while confronting a variety of serious social issues. Makmalbaf tackles the issues of poverty and the way that men exploit one another in this arresting and visually sophisticated work. Nassim is an Afghan refugee in need of money to pay his wife's medical expenses. Unfortunately, he succumbs to the entreaties of a slick con artist. The swindler has a fantastic plan to stage a bicycle marathon with only one contestant: Nassim himself. Billing him as the Afghani Superman, the man wagers that Nassim can ride his bicycle, day and night, for an entire week. The normally mild-mannered townsfolk soon turn vicious on the sidelines as they place wagers on Nassim's fate, trying to turn his suffering into their profit. [More]