"Crash", a film directed by Paul Haggis was chosen as the movie of the year and recieved 3 Oscars. This is a movie worth seeing, not only because it recieved Oscar recognition, but because it tackels issues of race and discrimination in a way that is very real to our world today. "Crash" is a flilm that anyone can watch, it worked especially well in our class because we had discussion. Even when the film is not presented in a classroom setting I feel that it will still promote discussion. I have watched this with my parents and friends and on both occasions discussion arose. Watching "Crash" could be the first time some individuals think about race relations and really start to talk about them.
The biggest and most obvious theme of the intertwined stories is that of race. There is hatred and racism alive in movie and we see that displayed in many of the characters. The movie begins with many snippits of stories, and as we watch we discover how everyone connects to one another. To be introduced to these characters, watch this trailer! It gives me goosebumps when the connections are made, it is an "Ah-ha" moment. This theme can be stated by this annoyomous scholar:
All of us are one. When you inflict suffering on others, you are
bringing suffering on yourself. When you weaken others, you are
weakening yourself, weakening the whole nation.
This is so obvious in "Crash" when an individual tries to mentally or physically hurt another. They really do not make themselves feel better, in fact they feel worse and negatively affect their neighbor. This happens until the individual crashes - literally or figuratively. This crash can be a revelation for them to turn around or start acting differently. This same theme can also be stated differently;
What goes around, comes back around.
This is a truism that we have all heard for years and recently it has been recieving more attention because of Justin Timberlake's poetic musicianship.
This movie attacks social issues head-on, which is one reason to watch it. There are other reasons as well, though. The soundtrack is amazing. The entire atmosphere of the film is dramatized and sobered through instrumental music which was composed specifically for "Crash". The only songs with vocals come at the end when the stories of the characters with whom we now identify are being concluded. To me, this adds a lot of power and emotion to the end of the film; we are listening to the vocals and left to think on our own about the truth we have just seen presented on film. "Crash" stars many big names actors and actresses, and it is worth it, because the acting is fantastic. The actors take on their roles and you often forget that you have seen these individuals in other films or in Hollywood.
To rate this film, I will use a crash-test rating, to go along with the title, "Crash". In Consumer Reports, cars are rated using circles. A red circle is highly recommended, a half-red circle is acceptable, a half-back circle is okay, and a black circle is not recommended. I would give "Crash" a red circle because I would suggest to anyone that they watch this movie. Especially when viewed with others, this film can increase our understanding of the world. It also gets a red circle because of how well Paul Haggis directed the film, the cast and the soundtrack - as a package, just like the Toyota Camry (one of the highest ranked cars in Consumer Reports) it rates high in every aspect!
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