“Anywhere Anytime” is, unabashedly and unapologetically, a reinterpretation of the beloved classic “Bicycle Thieves.” But 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 out.

The film follows Issa (Ibrahima Sambou), an undocumented Senegalese immigrant who works odd jobs in Turin while evading police surveillance, just in case. When the pressure to evade the law (or pay increasingly hefty fines) becomes too much for Issa’s boss, he lets the young worker go from his low-paid job at a flea market, leaving him at the mercy of the gig economy.

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Black work is hard to come by, given his legal status, but his friend and fellow immigrant Mario (Moussa Dicko Diango) offers him a food delivery app and even lends him his smartphone. The only problem is that Issa doesn’t have a bike and has to haggle for a used one, one of the many indignities he endures. As De Sica recounts, Issa’s bike is eventually stolen, leaving him with no choice but to try to find it.

While the film is similar to “Bicycle Thieves,” its cultural specificities make the film play out differently. On the one hand, Issa cannot involve the police in his search for fear of being deported. On the other hand, language and racial barriers are omnipresent. Although he knows Italian, he is much more comfortable in Wolof, and the local population tends to view him with suspicion.

These existing tensions also impact how the film plays out compared to De Sica’s original—deviations that, while small, seem to be Tangshir’s entire point. Italy and its problems have changed since 1948, as have the face of its population. “Anywhere Anytime” seeks to inject those changes into largely familiar cultural verbiage, though its approach is hardly didactic. Issa, for example, is certainly acting out of desperation, as “Bicycle Thieves” protagonist Antonio Ricci (Lamberto Maggiorani) once did, but the expected response to Issa is not just pity but understanding. He’s also acting out of anger and frustration, given the circumstances, and he makes some morally questionable decisions along the way.

With its long, quiet sequences interspersed with African and Middle Eastern folk songs, “Anywhere Anytime” creates a soundtrack to immigrant labor, with space for thought, anxiety, and reflection interspersed with vivid cultural memories. It’s perhaps the most singular aesthetic aspect of the film, but perhaps the only notable one. It’s never ugly to look at—Giuseppe Maio’s cinematography makes Turin feel as alive and vibrant as any of the film’s characters—though it doesn’t necessarily break new ground beyond this sonic showcase, the way “Bicycle Thieves” did with its unseen naturalism.

This is by no means a necessity for a film, though it makes “Anywhere Anytime” more of a pastiche than an analytical remix. But even as an homage with a modern software update, it works very well. Cinematographer Giuseppe Maio’s nighttime scenes are bathed in bokeh and soft focus, creating a sense of living, breathing texture around the characters (it’s the biggest, most poetic visual departure from “Bicycle Thieves” and its Carlo Montuori’s deep-field photography).

It’s worth noting that while “Anywhere Anytime” remains faithful to the original’s structure, minor changes also ensure a thematic deviation. Tangshir replaces the original’s father-son dynamic with a romantic subplot, between Issa and fellow refugee Awa (Success Edemakhiota), though their relationship is grounded in dreams of comfort. Issa’s bike is not only an object of economic liberation, allowing him to make deliveries for a meager wage and tips. It’s also a hobby, and allows Issa and Awa to take intimate rides in the middle of the night, to escape their cramped temporary housing. The film has no qualms about saying that not only Issa’s desire to work, but also her desire to truly live, should be reason enough for us to care.

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