September 10, 2005 5:57 PM
Crash - a primer on race relations
You think you know who you are. You have no idea. . . .
I watched Crash last night - on my laptop in my bedroom. After reading the reviews, I thought it was a must-see for someone like me, who likes my entertainment heavy (meaning it's a must-not-see for those who like their entertainment light).
Set in modern day Los Angeles, this gritty film depicts two days in the lives of seven pairs of people - two father/daughter, two husband/wife, two cops, two car thieves, and a pair of very intimate investigators.
Oh, but that makes it sound too simple. Because all of these people have other relationships as well. In the style pioneered in the 70s by Robert Altman and most recently tapped into by director Paul Thomas in Magnolia , these lives all unfold and intersect in dramatic and unexpected ways. And racism is the catalyst that propels the plot.
While each character begins as a stereotype, and the stereotypes are reinforced by dialogue and responses to events, Crash immediately segues into something much more multidimensional, digging deep to expose the vulnerable person within. In the meantime, the viewer is clobbered with one ugly racist situation after another - between white and black, Hispanic and black, white and Arab, white and Hispanic, Arab and Hispanic, white and Asian. Every possible variation on a theme - race card hustlers, sellouts, idealists, cowards, and heroes.
Some critics have accused the film of being too contrived. Perhaps it is, but the film is riveting enough for the audience to suspend disbelief. And the performances are impeccable - without exception.
When Crash begins, it’s easy to identify the good guys and the bad guys, the crazy and the sane. By the end, it’s not easy at all. Which means the film is effective in what it sets out to do: to force us to rethink our stereotypes and begin to see the human being behind the accent and under the skin.
Technorati tags: Crash, race relations
Comments
I loved that movie and saw it twice in the theater. I thought a secondary theme was about making choices that redeem oneself.
Posted by: Mel | September 10, 2005 9:05 PM
My sister also saw it and thought it was good. I don't get into theaters much, and hadn't realized it was out on video already. I'll have to try to fit it in.
Posted by: Julana | September 11, 2005 7:10 AM
We just watched this movie last night. I am still digesting everything I saw and felt. It was a really great food-for-thought movie that challenges one's own perceptions of others and themselves!
Posted by: Laura | September 12, 2005 11:20 AM
