Love among races

Independent film Crash has been one of the most talked about and critically acclaimed films of 2005. A race relations drama, the story of Crash is set in the glass house city of Los Angeles, where people won’t mingle with each other until they crash onto one another. Boasting with a cast comprising of not less than 70 actors: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser and Thandie Newton, to name a few — Crash is the definition ensemble acting. Add to that the masterful script that was well-executed by Paul Haggis who produced, wrote and directed the Oscar-nominated film.

The story takes place on a two-day journey of the crashing and burning relationship of the races intertwining in L.A. As each of the many characters in the story becomes exposed, we see that each one of them would either be the victim or the victimizer at a point in time.

The characters and how they become linked to one another are most essential to the film. This is crucial to prove the point that each person at one point or another would either become the victim or the victimizer. On a particular scene we would see two officers pull over a car with a black couple. Although the couple’s car isn’t the one the officers have been told to track down, Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon) made sure he would check everything out. With this, he mildly threatens the couple and later, he molests the black woman (Thandie Newton) as he checks for illegal weapons.

Another character that would prove the story’s theme is Officer Hanson (Ryan Philippe), Officer Ryan’s former partner. After the incident with Christine and her husband Graham (Terrence Howard), Officer Hanson asked for a reassignment. His request was granted albeit costing him a humiliating “personal reason.”

The characters delve into a person’s epiphany, realizations people undergo; explanations that there is indeed love beyond race.

In the film, Jean (Sandra Bullock) the repressed wife of a lawyer (Brendan Fraser) would say, “I am angry all the time and I don’t know why.” She would lambaste almost everyone at her sight — the locksmith, the black men who stole their car, their helper. But later on, when an accident takes place, she would find herself being helped by someone she had neglected — their helper Maria. Despite the fact that it was her friend for 10 years who had first learned of the incident, it was Maria who took her to the hospital.

Racism has long been an issue in our society, in our world. What is special in Crash is that it doesn’t only expose issues between races, but it also gives hope of resolution.

Crash is thrilling, riveting and enthralling. Perhaps the best indie film since Pulp Fiction (which also boasts a great ensemble), Crash says its piece. As a moral lesson, Crash is thought-provoking and hopeful. It reaches across the audience to share its theme as well as make them examine their conscience.

You only need to watch this film once to fully comprehend its story and absorb its universal message. If it doesn’t change you, it would at least make you think twice about your actions towards the people that surround you. Truly, Crash is the best film of 2005.