A young man loses his bike and possibly his faith in humanity. The film is an absurd comedy that explores righteous anger and the toxicity of assuming the world is against you.

Director’s Vision for ‘The Bike Thief’.

The film’s inspiration came from a particularly desperate missing bike poster I found in my neighbourhood. The owner first tried to reason with the thief, then begged for the return of his property, before finally lamenting the state of the world and the fact that bad things happen to good people. I instantly sympathised with this person while also thinking they were somewhat ridiculous. There was something relatable about their initial righteous anger, but then it escalated absurdly. I feel that, in general, people have become much worse at handling everyday frustrations since the pandemic. It doesn’t take much for them to believe that there is a greater conspiracy against them and that righteous anger can easily develop into self-destructive behaviour. This film was a comic exploration of that toxicity on a micro-scale.