Director Mohsen Makhmalbaf's early work is distinguished by its visual sophistication and treatment of contemporary social problems. Here, as in The Peddler, he embroiders his regular themes of man's exploitation of man and the inequities between rich and poor. The Cyclist of the title is Nassim, an Afghan refugee in need of money to pay his wife's medical expenses. With work difficult to come by, a sleazy promoter suggests he undertake a bicycle marathon. Touting him as the Afghani superman, the huckster wagers that Nassim will circle a small area on the outskirts of town, day and night, for a week. Gamblers, bookies, and food vendors gather to watch the desperate cyclist from the sidelines, cynically turning his suffering to their own profit.
