Review of Crash

Crash is a film that has provoked controversy in Hollywood because of the nature of the topic. It is widely debated by critics, the most famous of which is the debate between Robert Ebert and Scott Foundas. Robert Ebert is of the mind that the film was the best of 2005 and deserved the Oscar that it won over 'Brokeback Mountain'. "It is a movie of raw confrontation about the complexity of our motives, about how racism works not only top down but sideways, and how in different situations, we are all capable of behaving shamefully." This opinion is attacked by Scott Foundas who believes that Crash is "one of those self-congratulatory liberal jerk-off movies that roll around every once in a while to remind us of how white people suffer too.." he then goes on to state that the characters are not three dimensional and live a life that is not of planet Earth.
Two very different reviews, the one to which I relate to the most is that of Robert Ebert. I found that he managed to capture the meaning of the film in his article. The story may be that of fiction, but within it is the essence of what every person holds inside them. A prejudice to that which you are not. As Ebert so eloquently phrased it "these people say exactly what they are thinking, without the filters of political correctness." This is especially true of the Free World nowadays. Everything that happens is judged, from that even more prejudice seeps in to you through your pores. The films that are shown portray lives that are not the same as the one you lead, and so become a stereotype that circulates through your brain everytime you see someone who may fit that description. The perfect example is that of Sandra Bullocks character who judges on a first glance. We are not told the previous experiences of the characters, but the likelihood is that Bullocks character does not have a history of interacting with Latinos.
Another aspect that I find to be extremely compelling is the hidden prejudice that bubbles under the surface without your knowledge and then erupts in a spray of sudden emotion, leading you to do deeds that no-one would have guessed would have been in your nature to do, such as that of Ryan Phillipes character. All the characters combined portray the major prejudices that people feel and show. Haggis puts forward the prejudice in the human psychology.
Away from the characters, the film is constantly placing the viewer on edge. The characters are unpredictable. It is more of what a real life is like, and not the generic, girl meets disadvantaged boy, hates him, falls in love and all is happy. It is a story of understanding what kind of person you truly are and who you have been.
The intermingling of the characters adds to both the suspense, for you can see the chain of events that would occur if one small act was to happen, such as that of the hispanic Michael Pena giving his daughter his protective cloak and then staring his own death and that of his daughter in the eye. For that split second that the viewer thinks that that small girl is dead, you see the shopkeeper who sold the gun to the Iraqi man, followed by the wrecked shop and lack of insurance. Then if the Iraqi had killed the small girl, would it have been shown in the newspapers to be an Iraqi Murderer or would it be a more mundane title?
That is what the film has running through it, endless questions of what if this happened? What if he hadn't stopped the car? What if Don Cheadle had tried to find his brother?
The film is not meant to be a light hearted film of love and oppurtunity, but the underlying nature of human society. To me it shows the answers to the human soul and it may be controversial but it is a reminder that prejudice is always there and every little act reverberates through society and affects everyone in small and different ways. Because of this every muscle in your body is tense with anticipation and worry for what a character will do next.