Film: Pedal

The free film at the Bean Cycle (a favorite local coffee/book shop of ours) this month was Pedal, a documentary chronicling the lives of bike messengers in New York City. The cinematography is pretty cool, especially as most of the interviews are filmed while the messengers are riding, with the camera person following them on a skateboard. The film balances camera shots of thrills and spills with a deeper look into the subculture of bike courriers. Many of those interviewed are strikingly similar in their personalities and excentricities. They describe themselves as outlaws, despised by taxi drivers, police, and people on the street. And they all in one way or another describe the comraderie amongst themselves as a bond closer than family.