Chop Shop Blu-ray Criterion Collection Review
Mathew Plale
June 21st, 2021
A group of men wait alongside the road, waiting for a truck to come along and offer a day’s work. The worst thing they can hear is, “I don’t need you today.” Among the men is Alejandro (Alejandro Polanco), not even a teenager. He’s a bit more determined than the others, even hopping into the truck bed, hoping he’ll get to the worksite and be allowed to earn money. This never works out and so he hops on the subway to sell candy bars.
Alejandro–Ale–is, along with his older sister, Isamar (Isamar Gonzales)–Izzy–trying to get buy, to survive in an environment not designed for them to survive in. Ale and Izzy are saving up for a van, which they hope to use for a business, with Ale getting a small job at an auto shop (and hawking bootleg and stolen items) and Izzy herself is selling herself as a prostitute.
CHOP SHOP takes place in the neighborhood of Willets Point, Queens, sometimes referred to as the Iron Triangle, suggesting not just the industry but also perhaps the trap, ala the Bermuda Triangle. It’s a desperate situation Ale and Izzy are in. But there, too, is a certain warmth.
The relationship between brother and sister is so fully developed that the viewer can’t help but root for them, to want to see them rise above and achieve whatever goal they choose. Their portrayers understand how defeating their situation is and how much their actions mean. The pairing is remarkable, a completely realistic and human relationship that so few directors can draw. That neither of these unknowns has done much, if anything, since this film is a shame, although some may consider that it helps lend to the neorealistic style.
CHOP SHOP is director Ramin Bahrani’s second film, after 2005’s MAN PUSH CART. His debut looked at a man who is barely acknowledged and often shunned (especially in a post-9/11 New York City). Bahrani explores similar ideas here, with characters living on the fringe and trying to find their place and mode of survival. Really, how many viewers were entirely aware of Willets Point prior to the film (and, really, how many care afterwards)?
With his sophomore feature, Bahrani truly cemented himself as one of the finest filmmakers to come out of the decade, then following it up with the terrific GOODBYE SOLO the following year. He has seen some stumbles (2013’s AT ANY PRICE and the HBO television movie FAHRENHEIT 451), but remains a unique talent that has never been one to avoid (his latest, THE WHITE TIGER, was nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar).
Bahrani himself won the Someone to Watch honor at the Independent Spirit Awards, in addition to earning a Best Director nod.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: 1.78:1 in 1080p with MPEG-4 AVC codec. “The film was shot on Sony HDW-F900R CineAlta and completed in a fully digital workflow. This high-definition digital transfer was approved by director Ramin Bahrani.”
Like the release of MAN PUSH CART, this transfer is quite nice and shows off Bahrani’s vision.
Audio: English 5.1 Surround. “The new 5.1 surround mix was created for this release from the dialog, music, and effects stems by Tom Efinger at Red Hook Post in Brooklyn and supervised by Bahrani.”
Clean dialogue and a natural atmosphere are the highlights on this transfer.
Audio commentary from 2006 featuring Ramin Bahrani, director of photography Michael Simmonds, and actor Alejandro Polanco
In Search of the American Dream (26:54): Bahrani and author Suketu Mehta discuss some of the ideas and themes found in CHOP SHOP.
Making Chop Shop (22:28): Bahrani, assistant director Nicholas Elliot and actors Polanco and Ahmad Razvi reflect on the film.
Rehearsal Footage: There are two clips here: Ale at the Shop (20:39) and Ale and Izzy (13:28).
Trailer
Also included with this Criterion Collection release: an essay by novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen.
