Riding a Tricycle: A tiny, weirdly hypnotic home movie

Is this worth watching today? Only if you have exactly two minutes to spare and a strange interest in vintage front yards.

If you want a story or explosions, you are going to hate this. It is just a kid on a bike.

Antonio Jr. looks like he is concentrating so hard his head might pop. He is not really riding the tricycle as much as he is battling it.

The tricycle itself looks like it was made out of recycled tanks. It is heavy, clunky, and probably very loud, though we can't hear it.

I kept waiting for something to happen, like a dog running through the shot or someone tripping. But no, they just stand there.

Josefina Barrera Fuentes has this look on her face that every mom has when they are tired but have to pretend to be excited about a very small achievement.

The way Antonio Sr. stands is so formal. People used to stand so straight back then, even when they were just hanging out in the dirt.

It reminds me a bit of the vibe in The Family Album, but with way less going on. It is much more raw.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Riding a Tricycle (1928) through its definitive frames.

There is a moment where the front wheel wobbles and you think, "This is it, he's going down." But he doesn't. He just keeps pedaling.

The grass in the yard looks patchy and dry. It makes the whole thing feel very real and not like a movie at all.

I wonder what they talked about after the camera stopped. Probably about what was for dinner or how expensive that trike was.

If you like seeing how people actually lived, without the Hollywood polish, this is a neat little slice of life. It is better than The Barricade because it doesn't try to be anything other than a memory.

The film ends right when it should. Any longer and it would just be boring, but at this length, it is almost poetic.

It is definitely more interesting than Naked Hearts if you prefer reality over drama. Just don't expect a sequel.

One of the wheels has a slight dent in it. I noticed it about halfway through and couldn't stop looking at it. Detail is everything in these old clips.

Anyway, it is a nice way to spend two minutes if you are feeling nostalgic for a family you never knew.