In the tradition of Iranian filmmaking best expressed by Abbas Kiaroustami in film like A Taste of Cherry, the director Ramin Bahrani who also hails from Iran, has presented a film that closely examines the small events of overlooked people. Here the people are two children Alejandro (Alejandro Polanco) and his sister Isamar (Isamar Gonzalez.)
Alejandro works and lives in a “chop shop” a sort of garage/warehouse in the “Iron Tri-angle” of Willet’s Point in Queens, NY where auto body repair shops, scrap yards, and garbage dumps abut Yankee Stadium. This is a small and spare story about 12 year old Alejandro’s efforts to raise himself. Following the immigrant model of entrepreneurism that he sees around this neighborhood he decides to buy a food truck. He works hard hustling customers and squirrels his money away. But he is a child still, and although we immediately understand the folly of it all, he learns his lesson too late. His sister who has been released from some kind of foster care situation has, not surprisingly, found that what she has to sell is her young body and there are many willing takers.
Although this is a story full of sadness, the beauty and humor lift it beyond mere maudlin sentimentality. The untrained actors are wonderfully naturalistic and it works well in the cinema verite style. Yet there were a few too many long stretches where the camera had us looking for too long at something “interesting” like a beautiful mud puddle or sunset. I celebrate the director’s efforts here: he elicited some lovely performances and captured some startling images but ultimately maybe the story was just a little bit too small.
Opens May 30th in Los Angeles.
Directed by Ramin Bahrani; written by Ramin Bahrani and Bahareh Azimi; Director of Photography Michael Simmonds; edited by Ramin Bahrani; produced by Lisa Muskat, Marc Turtletaub and Jeb Brody. Released by Koch Lorber Films. Running time: 84 mi-nutes.
With: Alejandro Polanco (Alejandro), Isamar Gonzalez (Isamar), Rob Sowulski (Rob), Carlos Zapata (Carlos) and Ahmad Razvi (Ahmad.) |
