99% of the mechanical energy exerted by a human being riding a bicycle is transmitted to the wheels. What this means is that of any method of transportation yet conceived by humans, the bicycle is by-and-away the most efficient at our disposal.

This fact underscores the message of The Engine Inside; that the bicycle, a method of transportation which predates the car, and requires no external power save its rider, has the potential to change the world. Having revolutionized the ease and accessibility of human travel, the bicycle has been instrumental in burgeoning social movements since its inception, and retains the potential to reshape our society in its use today.

Through the stories of its six featured cyclists, The Engine Inside examines the ways in which the bicycle connects us across politics and cultures as both a vessel of personal fulfillment, independence, and self-actualization, and one with the potential for systemic, big-picture change.

The testimony of the riders it features form the beating heart of this film. From the bustling streets of megalopolises the like of New York and Cairo, to rural Ghana, or remote backcountry trails in Alaska, the lives of the people featured herein are fundamentally shaped by and structured around their heartfelt love of the bicycle and infectious passion for cycling.

Stunning cinematography brings the inspiring stories of each of these individuals to life, as we the audience find ourselves alongside them, whether tearing down Rocky Mountain trails, or weaving between cars in downtown rush hour traffic.

In Ghana, we meet an entrepreneur who, through the innovative idea of building bicycles out of bamboo, has worked tirelessly to better his community, providing employment opportunities to his hometown, and giving kids the tools to overcome systemic barriers to education.

In Cairo, the founder of the city’s first women’s cycling program breaks down social stigmas surrounding women’s right to ride, empowering women’s independence, mobility, and leadership along the way.

Closer to home, in Tk'emlúps (Kamloops), British Columbia, an Indigenous punk-rocker uses his mountain bike as a vessel to battle addiction and the trauma of the residential school system, and pull himself out of homelessness.

These are only some of the compelling stories told in The Engine Inside. Each of the film’s characters boasts a unique relationship with the bicycle. Whether as a medium for self-discovery and healing, a catalyst for legal advocacy, or a tool to combat rural poverty and promote access to education, their stories present ways of seeing the bicycle outside of the ways many in urban North America take for granted.

I, like many people in Canada, grew up riding a bicycle. My seven-year-old DeVinci hybrid serves me well in the summer, though she spends almost as long every year overwintering in my basement. I’m lucky enough to live within walking distance of most everything I need, though as anyone living in Ptbo–Nogo can tell you, that’s less a testament to the infrastructure than it is the fact that our city is the size of a postage stamp.

While The Engine Inside inspires hope on the broadest level that we might soon live in a cleaner, healthier, and more socially engaged world built around communities fostered through cycling, it also stirs the imagination of what that might look like in our own communities.

What if instead of being clogged with cars, George Street were flooded with people commuting downtown via bike? What if instead of waiting for buses and traffic lights, we could get anywhere in the city under our own steam? The prospective promises of cycling are tantalizing, and, if this film is anything to be believed, those promises are only the beginning.

The 2024 ReFrame Festival runs from January 25th-February 4th. A list of films, tickets to events and screenings, and more information can be found on the Festival Website.