Films
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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.
CHOP SHOP is the story of Alejandro (Alejandro Polanco), a twelve-year-old Latino street orphan in Willet’s Point, also known as the "Iron Triangle," a vibrant, sprawling, industrial neighborhood teeming with auto-body repair shops, scrap yards, and garbage dumps on the outskirts of Queens, New York. Alejandro, like many young boys in the area, works at one of the many auto body repair shops that line the street.
Alejandro spends his days in an adult world, running errands, convincing customers to come to his boss's garage instead of a competitor's, and learning how to paint and repair cars. Although conditions are harsh, his life is sprinkled with moments of happiness as he carves out a life for himself in the wasteland of the Iron Triangle. The brightest of these moments is the arrival of his sister Isamar (Isamar Gonzales), who moves in with him in the tiny room that he has found for them perched in the back of the shop where he works. Knowing that creating a better life for the two of them is their best bet at staying together, Alejandro finds her a job in a food van cooking and selling meals to the workers in the Iron Triangle. With a mixture of childlike naiveté and adult ambition, Alejandro begins obsessively saving his money to buy a mobile-food van as the two dream about owning and running a small business of their own.
But when their dream, and their loving relationship, is threatened by the hard truths of life, work, and one another, the children find themselves forced to make the kinds of difficult decisions that most adults never have to face.
Intimate, heartbreaking and yet ultimately hopeful, CHOP SHOP is a portrait of a young boy navigating his way through a chaotic adult world. Set in a stunning and unique location, it is subtle and simple, but tells a profound story about the people who live, work, and dream there.
"Miraculous! Now we have an American film with the raw power of CITY OF GOD or PIXOTE, a film that does something unexpected, and inspired, and brave" -Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (read more)
"The Major Revelation of the Director's Fortnight" - Le Monde, France (read more)
"American Independent Cinema at its best" - Daily Telegraph, London (read more)
"A flawlessly observed piece of street realism" Screen, UK (read more)
"Stand-out film of the festival sidebars" - London Times (read more)
"A mastery of a style!" -Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"Impressively carried by nonactor Alejandro Polanco, the film should serve to further Bahrani's reputation as a director with a promising future." -Michael Rechtshaffen, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER (read more)
"It’s hard to imagine a more concise summation of what it’s like to be a kid." -Sam Sweet, LA WEEKLY (read more)
"The lead performance by Alejandro Polanco is really quite remarkable... with 'Chop Shop,' Bahrani proves that 'Man Push Cart' was no one-off fluke; he is a genuine filmmaker with a true voice." -Mark Olsen, LA TIMES/FILM COMMENT (read more)
"Contemporary neorealism at its most confident and alert" -Nathan Lee, VILLAGE VOICE (read more)
"This guy knows how to make movies...just so right down to its last detail" -Jim Emerson, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES (read more)
"I thought it was terrific." -Gregg Goldstein, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER (read more)
"A magnificent performance given by young Alejandro Polanco!" -Eric Kohn, NY PRESS (read more)
"[One] of the movies that will be buzzed about very soon." -Elizabeth Weitzman, NY DAILY NEWS (read more)
"A triumph for all involved, none more so than Polanco, whose raw swagger and stillness glow in Bahrani's unblinking eye." - Stu VanAirsdale, THE REELER
"The filmmaker behind 'Man Push Cart' and 'Chop Shop' -- arguably the best one-two NYC film punch since Woody Allen knocked out 'Broadway Danny Rose' and 'The Purple Rose of Cairo' 25 years ago." -THEREELER.COM (read more)
"Really good film!" -Steven Rea, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER (read more)
(B+) "Though 'Chop Shop' is an American film, it feels more like an Iranian movie or the Dardenne Brothers’ Rosetta" - Scott Tobias, THE ONION (read more)
"Perfectly judged ending, as unexpected as it is immensely satisfying." -Mike D'Angelo, ESQUIRE MAGAZINE
"Ramin Bahrani's terrific follow-up to his 'Man Push Cart'... A healthy reminder that the New York indie isn't dead." -Jason Gonzalez, SLANT (read more)
"I'm pleased to be able to say that with 'Chop Shop,' Bahrani has a solid follow-up to 'Man Push Cart'" -Kim Voynar, CINEMATICAL (read more)
INTERVIEW with CINEMATICAL (read more)
"One of the most remarkable American films in recent years" -David Walsh, World Socialist Website (read more)
More from DAVID WALSH (read more)
4 stars. "Raw and affecting." -Jason Anderson, EYE WEEKLY (Canada) (read more)
"The film’s implacable realism, reflecting the months Bahrani spent integrating his cast and crew into the neighbourhood, makes the movie worth watching." -Paul Ennis, NOW WEEKLY (Canada) (read more)
Liberation, France (read more)
L'Humanite, France (read more)
| DECEMBER | ||
| December 09 | Boston, MA | Scion Independent Film Series Route 08 |
| December 10 | Atlanta, GA | Scion Independent Film Series Route 08 |
| December 11 | Austin, TX | Scion Independent Film Series Route 08 | December 15 | Chicago, IL | Scion Independent Film Series Route 08 |
| December 16 | Seattle, WA | Scion Independent Film Series Route 08 |
| December 17 | Los Angeles, CA | Scion Independent Film Series Route 08 |
| FEBRUARY | ||
| February 12+13 | Portland, OR | Portland International Film Festival |
| February 18 | New York, NY | Lincoln Center / Walter Reade Theatre |
| February 27- March 11 |
New York, NY | Film Forum Q&As with Ramin Bahrani at the 8:00 shows February 27, 28 & 29. |
| MARCH | ||
| March 3+4 | Toronto, CANADA | Cinematheque Ontario |
| March 17-20 | New York, NY | Brooklyn Heights Cinema |
| March 19+20 | New York, NY | Pioneer Theater |
| March 21 | Chicago, IL | Music Box Theatre |
| March 28 | Denver, CO | Starz Film Center |
| APRIL | ||
| April 3+4 | Madison, WI | Wisconsin Film Festival |
| April 4-6 | Ithaca, NY | Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival |
| April 11+12 | Philadelphia, PA | Philadelphia International Film Festival |
| April 11-17 | Washington DC | American Film Institute |
| April 12 | Boulder, CO | International Film Series |
| April 12 | Rochester, NY | George Eastman House |
| April 18-20 | Wilmington, DE | Emerging Cinemas / Theatre N at Nemours |
| April 18-24 | Seattle, WA | NorthWest Film Forum |
| April 18-24 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Cinema Paradiso |
| April 18-24 | Lake Worth, FL | Lake Worth Playhouse |
| April 19-27 | Hudson, NY | Time & Space Limited |
| April 23-28 | Winston-Salem, NC | RiverRun International Film Festival |
| April 25+26 | Columbus, OH | Wexner Film Center |
| April 27 | Charlottesville, VA | OFFScreen Film Series, U Virginia |
| MAY | ||
| May 2-4 | Baltimore, MD | Maryland Film Festival |
| May 9 | Minneapolis, MN | Parkway Theatre |
| May 9-16 | Omaha, NE | Film Streams Cinema |
| May 9-18 | Pittsburgh, PA | Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival |
| May 16 | Baltimore, MD | Charles Theatre |
| May 23-30 | Nashville, TN | Belcourt Theatre |
| May 28 | Reno, NV | Nevada Museum of Art |
| May 30 | Los Angeles, CA | Laemmle Sunset 5 |
| May 30 | Boston, MA | Brattle Cinema |
| May 30 | Nashville, TN | Belcourt Theatre |
| JUNE | ||
| June 3-5 | Columbia, SC | Nickelodeon Theatre |
| June 12 | Great Neck, NY | Great Neck Arts Center |
| June 13 | San Francisco, CA | Roxie Cinema |
| June 20 | Cleveland, OH | Cleveland Cinematheque |
| TBA | Portland, OR | Northwest Film Center |
