Chop Shop
Director: Ramin Bahrani
Writer: Ramin Bahrani, Bahareh Azimi
Cast: Alejandro Polanco, Isamar Gonzales, Rob Sowulski, Carlos Zapata, Ahmad Razvi
Part of: Real America

Plot:
Ale (Alejandro Polanco) takes care of himself basically, despite his young age. He is constantly trying to make more money and jumps at any chance. When he is offered a job and a place to stay in Rob’s (Rob Sowulski) chop shop, Ale asks his sister Izzy (Isamar Gonzales) to join him and also finds a job for her. Ale wants to buy an old food truck and run it together with Izzy, which would finally give them some independence and security. But things aren’t that easy.

Chop Shop shows us a side of the US, we don’t get to see very often and it does so with an excellent script, good pacing and a lot of sensitivity. I liked it a lot.

I was really most impressed by the script for this film. The plot unfolds slowly and you know exactly what’s going to happen (because expecting anything else would be living in a dreamland). But the way it is structured and crafted is just a thing of beauty and the sensitivity of how the story is told will keep you engaged at all times.

The actors (all amateurs) are a bit rough around the edges sometimes and I can’t really imagine them pulling off any other roles than they had in this film. But in the roles they had and in this film they were wonderful and a very good fit. [Also, Alejandro Polanco is one of the most beautiful children I have ever seen. It’s mesmerizing.]

The setting is also really interesting and they captured it well and with very striking images to boot. Which means that the film not only tells a good story well, but it even looks beautiful while doing it.

Chop Shop is one of those films that didn’t leave me with an immediate strong reaction but that continues to kind of ferment in my brain and that keeps coming up in random moments. For me, it’s more of a film for quiet reflection than loud discussion – but that is not at all a bad thing.

Summarising: It may not be the feel-goodest of films, but it’s still recommended.