It’s one of the true gems of the 2000s, according to this famous critic: a “heartwarming” coming-of-age

It’s one of the true gems of the 2000s, according to this famous critic: a “heartwarming” coming-of-age

When the eminent American critic, Roger Ebert, who died in 2013, recommended the film, we can be sure that it was worth it. so when Collider Reminding us that he recommended a nugget of American cinema that has gone relatively unnoticed, we might as well hurry. The movie is called: Chop Shop (2008) and it is directed by Ramin Bahran.

what does he say

Alejandro (Alejandro Polanco Isamar)

We follow Alejandro, known as ‘Ale’, a young 12-year-old boy without parents who survives by doing odd jobs and ‘getting by’. He plans to open a taco truck with his sister, who is four years older. To do this, he saves his last dollar to buy a car that will allow him to lift them out of poverty.

Filmed with non-professional actors (except for Ahmad Razvi, who plays one of Ale’s contacts) and cautious cameras to capture them on location and when least expected, Chop Shop is close to a documentary about the Willets Point neighborhood, a New York neighborhood located in Queens. , which is characterized by the car-building and repair industry.

The American dream versus reality

Ebert wrote very enthusiastically about the film his criticism From April 2009:

“Chop Shop is a difficult coming-of-age story. Alle’s dream is to buy a taco truck with her sister and go into business for herself. She saves every dollar. She won’t have any more work at Ahmed’s truck. A touching scene sees how her income begins to increase with the money she needs less ( …) Reality takes the first steps towards the American dream, and these are lower steps than we like to remember.

The critic classified this film in the category of “great films” that he was able to see, on the same level as classics such as Ivan the Terrible, Fantastic Walk, Seven or Mulholland Drive. This shows that he recommends a feature film, even though he only rated it 3 out of 5 on AlloCiné. It’s time to see or watch this feature film available on physical media in the Criterion Collection. Unfortunately, it is not currently available on any platform.

Source: Allocine

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