The Cyclist

1989 1h 19m FA

👍

6.6

SOLID

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 35★7.2IMDB · 2,278

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The wife of Nasim, an Afghan immigrant in Iran, is gravely ill. He needs money to pay for her care, but his day labor digging wells does not pay enough. A friend connects Nasim to a two-bit promoter who sells tickets to watch Nasim ride a bicycle continuously for a week. The promoter brings in sick and aged spectators, haranguing them to find hope in Nasim's strength. Aided by his son, who feeds him as he rides, Nasim grinds out the days and shivering nights. Local officials believe this may be a plot and Nasim may be a spy; they try to sabotage him as do those who bet he won't finish the week. Will desperation alone get Nasim the money? Is any triumph an illusion?

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Mahshid Afsharzadeh
Gypsy Woman
Firouz Kiani
Motorcyclist
Samira Makhmalbaf
Mohammadreza Maleki
Jomeh
Esmail Soltanian
Showman
Moharram Zaynalzadeh
Nasim

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Writers: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Languages: Persian
Countries: Iran

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, shot by Ali Reza Zarrindast. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Majid Entezami. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mohsen Makhmalbaf shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mahshid Afsharzadeh and Firouz Kiani and Samira Makhmalbaf carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0092651 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mohsen Makhmalbaf directs. Ali Reza Zarrindast behind the camera. Majid Entezami scores. Mohsen Makhmalbaf cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Iran. Dialogue in Persian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
237 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, shot by Ali Reza Zarrindast. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Majid Entezami. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Mohsen Makhmalbaf shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Mahshid Afsharzadeh and Firouz Kiani and Samira Makhmalbaf carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0092651 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 35 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ali Reza Zarrindast
Original score: Majid Entezami
Editing: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Production design: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Runtime: 79 min · 1h 19m
Status: Released
Original language: FA
IMDB: The Cyclist (1989)
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 2,278 votes

Awards

4 wins

Also by

Mohsen Makhmalbaf

Community reviews

What people are saying

CRCulver2018-09-08
★ 7/10
In the aftermath of the Soviet invasion and civil war, hundreds of thousands of Afghans fled across the border with Iran. There they struggled to survive, offering themselves as day labourers at exploitative wages, harassed by officials and just ignored by the bulk of Iranian society. Mohsen Makhmalbaf's 1987 film The Cyclist is an allegory for the Afghan refugee experience, Nasim (Moharram Zaynalzadeh) must pay the hospital stay of his ailing wife and bring up his son Jomeh (Mohammad Reza Maleki), but even backbreaking labour as a well-digger doesn't pay the bills. When a local business learns that Nasim once rode a bicycle for three nonstop, he offers the desperate man the chance to save his family: ride a bicycle for a week in a makeshift circus ring. Makhmalbaf communicates Nasim's lack of humanity by giving him very few lines. Most of the film consists of arguments among the gamblers and local politicians who stand to profit or lose from Nasim's act, as in the background he circles around and around and around. This film would already be heartrending if it were a straight-up tale, but Makhmalbaf makes it even more poignant with a light dusting of magic realism. Though less elegant than some of his later films like Nun va guldoon (released internationally as A Moment of Innocence), this is a memorable film and it's easy to see how it established Makhmalbaf's reputation internationally. Iranian cinema holds many delights, and this is one of its triumphs.

Production companies