Stand-alone filmmaker in the battle against Hollywood and the pursuit of originality
“I don’t think I am anti-Hollywood, I think Hollywood is anti-me,” says a cool Ramin Bahrani to me over the phone from his home in Brooklyn, New York. Bahrani is a filmmaker with a clear vision, a want to express this vision freely, and a need for this vision to be taken as it stands – without “blanket terms.” Societies need to name, label, and classify is rather frustrating to the Iranian-American filmmaker who has been described as immigrant, a third world filmmaker, and a neorealist. But what Bahrani wants you to experience is just, Bahrani. An individual voice with a lot to say.
A native to New York, his hometown seems to be the landscape of choice, as it has been the backdrop for his acclaimed film about a hot dog vendor’s life in New York Man Push Cart (2006), and soon to be released Chop Shop (2007), the narrative of an orphaned brother and sister as they also struggle to survive the city’s open streets. Set in the “iron triangle” – a mecca of auto body shops in Queens New York – the landscape is almost unrecognizable. The small area in the shadow of Shea Stadium was the perfect spot for Bahrani to shoot Chop Shop. “For about a year I just hung out there, walked around, got things to eat from the set-up bodegas. People would ask me what I was doing, and I would say, ‘I’m writing a short story for school, and I really don’t want to do it’…basically sounding as uninteresting as possible so [locals] wouldn’t ask too many questions.” Bahrani befriended a lot of the shop owners and tradesman, and so the extras in the film and some of the actors were the real deal.
Last year, a movie critic from Variety Magazine classified Bahrani’s 2007 release Chop Shop as “…far more associated with Third World cinema than with American movies…” What is Third World cinema? It is a broad term for cinema featuring various cultures that are minorities or other discourse groups that are distinctive through their geography, race, social constructs, or beliefs. These groups are largely ignored in mainstream cinema, and thus, are garnered didactic in style and purpose.
Bahrani agrees there is a void in mainstream cinema, however, in a 2007 interview with Cinematical, Bahrani refuted that his films are of any type of “third world” – as if his portrayals were of the invisible and marginalized, “this is how the majority of Americans live,” says Bahrani over the phone. “From what position of authority can some critic in LA tell me that my country is a third world?...In the same respect, these blanket terms just don’t apply. For instance Iranian cinema and the film 40 shades of blue have elements of realism, but it is different from Man Push Cart. Junebug is Iranian cinema and different from Man Push Cart.”
Because of its realism is it didactical filmmaking? No. Bahrani just wants his films to be separate entities, and to not be deemed as morality plays. So I ask Bahrani, from straying third world, should we take the Teshome Gabriel approach to Third World Cinema dislike and move forward with Third cinema -- a movement in which the social consciousness of the film takes the foreground? No, this is just another label. “There is a social aspect, but this is due to the class and economic struggles in the films. Most Hollywood cinema has no interest in this class.”
Not only does Bahrani push boarders and film categories, but he pushes the classic and celebrated definition of an “actor.” To Bahrani, resume and education don’t weigh past raw and immediate talent. “There was once a 6 year-old girl who auditioned for me. The role was originally for a six year-old boy. She was so good that I changed the script to a girl and created something more intriguing.” Lead in Chop Shop Alejandro Polanco (Ale) is absolutely captivating. Playing an entrepreneurial 12 year-old hustling to live, Ale plays out right on target. The cast (largely amateur) put on such an amazing performance, everything idiosyncrasy and trait so seamless and raw.
Ahmad Razvi, the lead in Man Push Cart, also appeared in this film, and is a testament to Bahrani’s belief that actors can be molded by good filmmaking. “Ahmad is a perfect example of this,” says Bahrani, “he wasn’t a trained actor…but later became a “role model” to the kids on the set of Chop Shop…they really looked up to him…and his acting improved so much from Man Push Cart.” Since Bahrani often casts actors that in their own lives (Razvi was actually a hot dog vendor in real life), are similar to the characters they play, his actors have been criticized as, although brilliant, “just playing themselves.” One large misconception of Bahrani’s work is that they are a lot like documentaries and the films just naturally align themselves. I suppose this is a compliment to both his filmmaking and the skill of the actors however, as Bahrani’s films is nothing impromptu. Chop Shop was shot scene by scene 20-30 times.
Viewed by Bahrani as separate entities, each of his films strives to scave classification, and to be celebrated for what they are. “Why should I give [Hollywood] anymore power against feelings of hope and courage that exists?” says Bahrani when I ask him about his pursuit of filmic originality. So where does the essence of Bahrani lie? In fresh environments and believable stories: “…I don’t want to create a world I can’t believe…more importantly, these films fill a void in me [not the industry’s catalogue]…no one has made these films.”
Chop Shop comes to select North American theatres in February
A native to New York, his hometown seems to be the landscape of choice, as it has been the backdrop for his acclaimed film about a hot dog vendor’s life in New York Man Push Cart (2006), and soon to be released Chop Shop (2007), the narrative of an orphaned brother and sister as they also struggle to survive the city’s open streets. Set in the “iron triangle” – a mecca of auto body shops in Queens New York – the landscape is almost unrecognizable. The small area in the shadow of Shea Stadium was the perfect spot for Bahrani to shoot Chop Shop. “For about a year I just hung out there, walked around, got things to eat from the set-up bodegas. People would ask me what I was doing, and I would say, ‘I’m writing a short story for school, and I really don’t want to do it’…basically sounding as uninteresting as possible so [locals] wouldn’t ask too many questions.” Bahrani befriended a lot of the shop owners and tradesman, and so the extras in the film and some of the actors were the real deal.
Last year, a movie critic from Variety Magazine classified Bahrani’s 2007 release Chop Shop as “…far more associated with Third World cinema than with American movies…” What is Third World cinema? It is a broad term for cinema featuring various cultures that are minorities or other discourse groups that are distinctive through their geography, race, social constructs, or beliefs. These groups are largely ignored in mainstream cinema, and thus, are garnered didactic in style and purpose.
Bahrani agrees there is a void in mainstream cinema, however, in a 2007 interview with Cinematical, Bahrani refuted that his films are of any type of “third world” – as if his portrayals were of the invisible and marginalized, “this is how the majority of Americans live,” says Bahrani over the phone. “From what position of authority can some critic in LA tell me that my country is a third world?...In the same respect, these blanket terms just don’t apply. For instance Iranian cinema and the film 40 shades of blue have elements of realism, but it is different from Man Push Cart. Junebug is Iranian cinema and different from Man Push Cart.”
Because of its realism is it didactical filmmaking? No. Bahrani just wants his films to be separate entities, and to not be deemed as morality plays. So I ask Bahrani, from straying third world, should we take the Teshome Gabriel approach to Third World Cinema dislike and move forward with Third cinema -- a movement in which the social consciousness of the film takes the foreground? No, this is just another label. “There is a social aspect, but this is due to the class and economic struggles in the films. Most Hollywood cinema has no interest in this class.”
Not only does Bahrani push boarders and film categories, but he pushes the classic and celebrated definition of an “actor.” To Bahrani, resume and education don’t weigh past raw and immediate talent. “There was once a 6 year-old girl who auditioned for me. The role was originally for a six year-old boy. She was so good that I changed the script to a girl and created something more intriguing.” Lead in Chop Shop Alejandro Polanco (Ale) is absolutely captivating. Playing an entrepreneurial 12 year-old hustling to live, Ale plays out right on target. The cast (largely amateur) put on such an amazing performance, everything idiosyncrasy and trait so seamless and raw.
Ahmad Razvi, the lead in Man Push Cart, also appeared in this film, and is a testament to Bahrani’s belief that actors can be molded by good filmmaking. “Ahmad is a perfect example of this,” says Bahrani, “he wasn’t a trained actor…but later became a “role model” to the kids on the set of Chop Shop…they really looked up to him…and his acting improved so much from Man Push Cart.” Since Bahrani often casts actors that in their own lives (Razvi was actually a hot dog vendor in real life), are similar to the characters they play, his actors have been criticized as, although brilliant, “just playing themselves.” One large misconception of Bahrani’s work is that they are a lot like documentaries and the films just naturally align themselves. I suppose this is a compliment to both his filmmaking and the skill of the actors however, as Bahrani’s films is nothing impromptu. Chop Shop was shot scene by scene 20-30 times.
Viewed by Bahrani as separate entities, each of his films strives to scave classification, and to be celebrated for what they are. “Why should I give [Hollywood] anymore power against feelings of hope and courage that exists?” says Bahrani when I ask him about his pursuit of filmic originality. So where does the essence of Bahrani lie? In fresh environments and believable stories: “…I don’t want to create a world I can’t believe…more importantly, these films fill a void in me [not the industry’s catalogue]…no one has made these films.”
Chop Shop comes to select North American theatres in February
