"American Independent Cinema at its best" - Daily Telegraph, London

"Raw and probing. A low-budget vérité triumph. You can't shake it off as just a movie."
- David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Official Selection, 2007 Toronto Film Festival
Official Selection, 2007 Cannes Film Festival

Ramin Bahrani, after his auspicious debut (MAN PUSH CART), sets his story of a 12-year-old Latino boy and his older sister in the no-man's-land that is Willet's Point, Queens, a 20-block stretch of junkyards and chop shops (where stolen cars are dismantled for parts), overshadowed by Shea Stadium's giant billboard: "Make Dreams Happen." CHOP SHOP is the story of Alejandro, a twelve-year-old Latino street orphan in who works at one of the many auto body repair shops that line the street. Alejandro spends his days in an adult world, running errands, dealing with customers, and learning how to paint and repair cars. Although conditions are harsh, his life is sprinkled with moments of happiness as he carves out an existence in the wasteland of the neighborhood. 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.

DIR/SCR Ramin Bahrani; SCR Bahareh Azimi; PROD Jeb Brody, Lisa Muskat and Marc Turtletaub. USA, 2007, color, 84 min. Not Rated.

No passes accepted.