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Crash (2005)Reviewed by Aricson Tarasova
Crash is a morality fable told from multiple perspectives on race, poverty and power in Los Angeles . The multiple narratives include two African American men who argue racial discriminations, while they carjack from only non African Americans; a couple of detectives who investigate a possible racially fueled homicide; a Caucasian district attorney and his wife who are carjacked by the above mentioned African American men and how they deal with the crimes' racial blow back on a personal and professional level; a Persian American small business owner who blames his Hispanic American locksmith with the destruction of his store and takes out his revenge with a gun; an African-American movie director and his wife who must deal with prejudice from the LAPD, Hollywood and themselves; a Chinese couple who smuggle Southeast Asians into the country as slaves; and finally two Caucasian LAPD cops that reflect the complex chameleon attitudes the department deals with on daily basis. Wow, OK, I think I've covered every storyline presented in Crash .
Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie comes to mind on a possible example of how to anchor multiple stories with a common theme through a central protagonist. I would have like to seen the carjackers or the detectives as Crash 's central protagonists whose story interconnected with the other narratives that could have given the film a stronger narrative backbone. Crash , like Syriana, is an issue driven film that has traded its character and story narration for an illustrative moral instead. This definitive characteristic of both Crash and Syriana can be argued as either their strength or weakness depending on how you react to their stories. It's easy for me to play Monday morning quarterback here on how Crash could have worked better for me, but Crash does work for what it is. The film gives powerful performances of complex characters that reflect the problems of modern day Los Angelinos. Writer/director Paul Haggis paints an intricate illustration of how race, poverty, and power shape the lives of Crash 's multiple protagonists with artistry rarely executed in film today. Crash is well paced and gives just enough complexity as not to confuse or bore an audience. Haggis also avoids being moralistic by imploring visual metaphors that keep the film out of preachy waters and adds beauty to the film. By using a fable as a framework for Crash , Haggis is able to give a story, rendered in shades of gray, which does not moralize the medium into blatant liberal or conservative propaganda. The film's fable framework complements the hash emotional realities the characters find themselves. The fable narrative also offers hope from these difficult issues to the audience by transforming the films growing tension into reflection and joy. Crash does have its own prejudices that can be argued as either a shortcoming or an example how complex the issues of race are within its execution. [Click Here for more Oscar Nominee Titles]
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Director: Paul Haggis
The film is a solid piece of filmmaking. For the most part, the production gives an unbiased illustration of race relations in Los Angeles . However, the film's lack of a strong central character diminishes its replay value for me and diffuses my interest in purchasing it on DVD. I am, however, proud to have seen Crash and have been touched by its artistic multitude reflections of life and will have no problem seeing again in the future. I think the greatest compliment I can give this film is that it will have audiences discussing and debating its take on race relations. 