Crash into Me

On a recent Wednesday evening, nestled in the seats of the local independent theatre here in Albany, I tuned into the racially driven "movie of the moment", Crash. The script includes many characters, each somehow linked to one another through situations of crime, relationships, politics, and love. The characters in this movie are drawn from a wide range of social groups- a white LAPD police office, a Persian corner store owner, a waealthy African-American couple, a DA and his emotionally supressed wife, a young locksmith, and a police chief.
The first scene opens with the notion that in L.A. people do not look at one another or touch one another. They just walk by each other, each individual always trapped in their isolated world of drama, problems, and dreams. Don Cheadle ( of Hotel Rwanda) tells of how this isolation builds up and finally forces us all to eventually " crash into one another, just to feel something." It is based on this premise that the characters collide throughout the movie, learning more about themselves and others. Overall this movie receives dues for having the balls to address issues of race and socio-economic factors in modern sosciety. It does not shy away from drama, and causes the audience to focus in on issues of race that are embedded in every aspect of our society. An impressive script connects the characters through a multi-layered plot in which characters meet in life changing circumstances. Impressive performances by the entire cast, expecially Thandie Newton, Sandra Bullock, and Terrence Howard engage the script to its fullest potential.
The one fault that could be attested to this movie is the scripts reliance on coincidences and "crashes", and their role in shaping the beliefs and identities of the characters in the movie. It is through these coincidences that many of the characters realize that they based many of their opinions on stereotypical views of other people. Through their life-changing coincidences the characters begin to challenge their pre-conceptions. Although this notion fits well into the imaginative sphere of Hollywood, it is these forced chance meetings that do not happen often off-screen, in the real world.
It is essential to note that this is one of the first movies in recent history that has so bluntly and dramatically addressed the issue of racism in our society. This movie provides a beginning groundwork for movies to address taboo issues that many in Hollywood have been yet too scared to discuss.