by Charles Kirkland Jr.
An undocumented immigrant finds out that making a living in Italy is not all that it is cracked up to be in
Anywhere Anytime.
Issa is a young undocumented immigrant from Senegal living in Turin, Italy. He is doing his best to
survive and support his mother back home. Fired by his previous employer due to his lack of legal
papers, Issa finds work with the help of a friend as a deliverer for Anywhere Anytime. The job requires
the employee to have their means of transport so he, again with the help of his friend, purchases a
bicycle with the last of his money. Issa’s newly gained stability collapses when, during delivery, the
bicycle is stolen. In the face of this adversity, Issa is determined to overcome but will the city and its
inhabitants allow him to succeed?
Anywhere Anytime stars Ibrahima Sambou as Issa, Moussa Dicko Diango, and Success Edemakhiota. The
film is written and directed by Milan Tangshir. This is the debut feature film by the Iranian filmmaker.
Anywhere Anytime is a heartbreaking tale of woe. It is an indictment of a poor immigration system that
forces the worst out of people who are just trying to survive. The once tender-hearted and caring
immigrant Issa is constantly ground down by a system that rejects and manipulates him. It is only a
matter of time before the best of men is brought to their knees in this situation. Tangshir leaves the
audience in suspense as to whether Issa is the best of men.
For movie buffs, this film seems to pay homage to the 1948 classic film The Bicycle Thief. The stories
are very similar. The outcomes are strikingly similar too. Except for the inclusion of the immigration
theme, the movies are the same. However, to the credit of Tanshir, the immigrant story makes the
movie current and relative to the time. The world’s political climate toward immigrants makes this story
universal.
The only problem with the movie is its conclusion. Being made by a director from Tehran and being shot
in Italy, the film’s foreign roots show in its nebulous conclusion. Many good films end without wrapping
up the story, leaving room for the audience to make interpretations and devise theories about how
things end. This film leaves too many unanswered questions to guess about. Even the movie that
seems to serve as inspiration for the film had a much more concrete summation of the story and the
events of the film. While many viewers worldwide may accept the ending, Americanized, western
audiences will want something more definite.
With a content advisory for violence and homophobic/racist/transphobic language, Anywhere Anytime
is shattering and unforgettable. It is a harsh warning to the fact that even the best of us can be broken
so we better be careful about stacking the odds against those who are the most desperate.
Grade: B-