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‘Anywhere Anytime’ Review: ‘Bicycle Thieves’ Is Reborn as a Modern Immigrant Saga


Milad Tangshir's feature debut, playing Venice Critics' Week, steals from Vittorio De Sica's neorealist classic, but it has a good explanation.

“ Anywhere Anytime ” is, quite overtly and unapologetically, a re-tread of the beloved classic “Bicycle Thieves.” However, in modernizing Vittorio De Sica’s neorealist landmark, Iranian-born director Milad Tangshir imbues his version with both contemporary cultural nuances and a unique perspective as an immigrant to Italy, resulting in a remake that stands apart. With quiet, lengthy stretches interspersed with popular African and Middle Eastern songs, “Anywhere Anytime” creates a soundtrack to immigrant labor, with space for thought, anxiety and reflection broken up by vivid cultural memories. Cinematographer Giuseppe Maio’s night scenes are bathed in bokeh and gentle soft-focus, creating a sense of living, breathing texture around the characters (this is the biggest and most poetic visual departure from “Bicycle Thieves” and its deep-focus photography by Carlo Montuori).

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