By John Corrado

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5th to 15th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

Issa (Ibrahima Sambou), the central character in director Milad Tangshir’s stripped down drama, is an undocumented Senegalese migrant trying to scrape by in Turin, Italy. Thanks to a friend (Moussa Dicko Diango), who lends him his phone and ID in order to work, Issa gets a job delivering food, and is able to get himself a used bike. Then the bike gets stolen. He needs a bike to work, but needs money to buy a new bike, etc.

As a portrait of someone trying desperately to navigate and survive the gig economy, Anywhere Anytime recalls the social realist films of Ken Loach, but on a more minor scale. Tangshir, making his narrative feature debut, crafts a film that is intended to harken back to the Italian neorealist movement, most notably Vittorio De Sica’s seminal 1948 classic Bicycle Thieves. And while obviously meant as well-meaning homage, it can border far too much on cinematic copy. But Tangshir does show enough of his own promise as a filmmaker, including some confident direction as Issa runs through the streets in long takes, set to a jazzy score.

Film Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)

Public Screenings: Tuesday, September 10th, 8:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre; Wednesday, September 11th, 12:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre; Sunday, September 15th, 6:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre