Chop Shop (2007)

Alejandro, a tough and ambitious 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.

Director:

Ramin Bahrani

Writers:

Bahareh Azimi, Ramin Bahrani

Stars:

Alejandro Polanco, Isamar Gonzales, Rob Sowulski

4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alejandro Polanco	...	Ale
Isamar Gonzales	...	Isamar
Rob Sowulski	...	Rob
Carlos Zapata	...	Carlos
Ahmad Razvi	...	Ahmad
Anthony Felton	...	Carlos's Uncle
Evelisse 'Lilah' Ortiz	...	Lilah
Michael 'Gringo' Nieto	...	Construction Foreman
Carlos Ayala	...	Carlos the Pigeon Worker
Laura Patalano	...	Laura
Nick Jasprizza	...	The 'John'
Bedford T. Bentley	...	Broken Mirror Customer (as Nick Bentley)
Edwin Rojas	...	Rob's Worker
Roy Francisco Green	...	Rob's Worker
Billy Klatzis	...	Rob's Worker

Storyline

Alejandro, a tough and ambitious 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.

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Plot Keywords:

orphan | barbecue | actress shares first name with character | auto repair | rhyme in title | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Pierre Grise [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 February 2008 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$8,475 (USA) (29 February 2008)

Gross:

$123,731 (USA) (11 July 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Muskat Filmed Properties, Noruz Films (I), Big Beach Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"La A Busadora"
Performed by Millennium Flow feat. Gina
Written by J. Cabrera, A. Gomez, E. Mata, J. Guilamo
Courtesy of Crucial Music

User Reviews

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.