Art is an important tool that many people have used to preserve the culture of their time. Whether it is the 20th century or 21st century, many of the film’s plot and setting reflect particular moments in history. One movie that preserves a particular culture/situation is Chop Shop.
Chop Shop is a story of a little 12-year-old boy named Alejandro and his older sister, Isamar. They are orphans who live with each other in a room in the back of a garage. The movie opens up by showing us illegal immigrants and Ale waiting for a truck to pick them up. The illegal immigrants get in the truck but the man says Ale isn’t needed so he gives him some money to spend for lunch instead. This opening scene clearly represents today’s population of Hispanic illegal immigrants and their struggle to make a living. We see Ale working in the Chop Shop, buffing and painting cars with other Hispanic workers. Half of the time they didn’t have masks on which is very dangerous. This further shows us the conditions in which these workers have to stay in because of their citizenship status. The director, Ramin Bahrani does a great job in showing the viewers this particular shot of a typical New York lifestyle for many people.
As the movie goes on, we learn Ale is trying to save up money to buy a van that is $4500 and use it as an investment to sell food items. He has his hopes set on this van, as it will allow his sister and him to have a better living. Ale sells pirated DVD’s and candy, and steals car parts from Shea Stadium so he can sell them to the Chop Shop owner. This is another moment where Bahrani portrays how many of the people of today’s society have to work. Selling illegal movies, stealing car parts, etc are things that people do, not by choice, but because they have to (in some cases). It’s hard for us to imagine that kind of lifestyle because many of us are fortunate enough to have parents to clothe, feed, and shelter us.
In the middle to end of the movie, Ale and his friend, Carlos, go to a nearby truck stop to see prostitutes working. He talks to his friend using vulgar language, which I was very surprised and disappointed by. These kids have no parents to teach them what’s right from wrong and that’s why they behave according to a certain culture. As the two kids are watching they discover that the girl giving blowjobs is his sister, Izzy. Ale runs away and is upset for a while. Prostitution is illegal but it unfortunately is present. Just because we are not encountered by it in our everyday lives does not mean it doesn’t occur secretly. Another moment of our history, preserved through this movie. The corruption that engulfs New York is clearly present in our society that Bahrani clearly shows.
Chop Shop was a very interesting movie. It made me appreciate all that I have and made me realize how ungrateful we all are. Chop Shop portrayed a story of the 2000-decade through the eyes of a young orphan and the obstacles he has to go through until and even after the end of the movie.
