I watched Ramin Bahrani's film because of the raves I've read, and the flurry of comparisons to the Dardennes.
Well, it certainly *looks* like a Dardennes film. And the film's focus on lost and overlooked urban youth reminded me so quickly of so many other recent films that I hardly knew where to start in assessing its achievement.
But I'm left wondering: Am I getting tired of neorealism? Have I seen "Dardennes-esque" films so many times now that I'm just losing interest in that handheld, docu-drama style?
Chop Shop is about a young boy named Alejandro who is working odd jobs to get by in Jamaica, Queens (also the location of the recent Choking Man). His primary source of work and community is an auto repair shop where he strips cars for parts, or helps fix cars up from that stash.
It's a dangerous, volatile environment, and not a good one for his sexy older sister Isamar.
The film follows their tense relationship; their dream (to turn an old ice cream truck into a small business, where Isamar will cook and sell her specialty: empanadas); their secrets; and their betrayals.
It's painful and bleak, of course, with only the merest trace of redemption and hope. (The DVD case promises a story of salvation. I say, "Really?" It's one of those DVD packages, like the one for Three Colors: Blue that announces, "SEXY!")
You folks may admire it a lot more than I do, and I'm a bit puzzled as to why I'm not joining the chorus of praises. It is well-made film, compassionate, thoughtful, observant... and when it was over I shrugged and walked away.