Chop Shop (2007)

Director:

Ramin Bahrani

Writers:

Bahareh Azimi (writer)
Ramin Bahrani (writer)

Release Date:

27 FEBRUÁR 2008 (USA)

Plot:

Alejandro, a tough and ambitious Latino street orphan on the verge of adolescence, lives and works in an auto-body repair shop in a sprawling junkyard on the outskirts of Queens, New York. In this chaotic world of adults, young Alejandro struggles to make a better life for himself and his 16-year-old sister, Isamar. |

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Alejandro Polanco	...	Ale
Isamar Gonzales	...	Isamar
Ahmad Razvi	...	Ahmad
Carlos Zapata	...	Carlos
Rob Sowulski	...	Rob
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Walter Albia	...	Cell Phone Customer 3
Manny Albos	...	Worker of Willet's Point
Sherman Alpert	...	Truck 'John'
Pedro Altamirano	...	Ahmad's Worker 1
Sneha Amin	...	Ahmad's Friend
Carlos Ayala	...	Carlos the Pigeon Worker
Bedford T. Bentley	...	Broken Mirror Customer (as Nick Bentley)
Angelo Carillo	...	Worker of Willet's Point
Raoul Chucaralao	...	Ahmad's Worker 2
Nicholas Corelisco	...	Ahmand's Friend
Carla Cubit	...	Ahmad's Escort
Nichole Dingee	...	Woman with Baby
Cesar Di Parra	...	Car Thief 2
Nicholas Elliott	...	Subway Customer
Anthony Felton	...	Carlos's Uncle
Tyrone Gray	...	Worker of Willet's Point
Roy Franisco Green	...	Rob's Worker 2
Jesus Manuel Gutierrez	...	Car Thief 1
Nick Jasprizza	...	The 'John'
Billy Klatzis	...	Rob's Worker 3
Frank Lukacs	...	Parking Lot Cop
William Anthony Morales	...	Lilah's Friend 2
Tony Motos	...	Worker of Williet's Point
Farooq 'Duke' Muhammad	...	Duke
Michael 'Gringo' Nieto	...	Construction Foreman
Evelisse 'Lilah' Ortiz	...	Lilah
Laura Patalano	...	Laura
Jimmy Peña	...	Cell Phone Customer 1
Derek Quick-Reide	...	Baby in Stroller
Kirstine Quick-Reide	...	Woman with Baby
Roberto Ramirez	...	Cell Phone Customer 2
Edwin Rojas	...	Rob's Worker 1
Scott Romstadt	...	College Kid (scene cut)
Shawn Leon Thomas III	...	Ahmad's Friend
Anna Torevski	...	Ahmad's Friend
Damien Velez	...	Lilah's Friend 1
Aben Garces Zavala	...	Ahmad's Friend
Kilian Zavala	...	Ahmand's Friend

Runtime:

USA:84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A | USA:Unrated | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Muskat Filmed Properties

Soundtrack:

Homenaje De Los Musicos Latinos

Silent, slow pace but stunning

A friend brought me this movie and at first I was hesitating, the pace in the movie was so slow that it was admittedly boring at the beginning. But the life scenes were attractive, it's like observing than watching.

It turned out to be simply stunning throughout the film, the way how the director handled the life scenes to reflect the reality was confounding but somehow also overwhelming. It's like understanding the real life of a lively person than watching a movie.

Mr Alejandro Polanco and Miss Isamar Gonzales did their roles so well that it's more like telling us their own stories. Indeed they used their real names in the movie.