Crash (2005)
When Crash won the Oscar for Best Picture, it set off a backlash, mostly from critics who were a year late to the party or from outspoken individuals within the industry. Crash is a powerful film, but it competed against another, arguably better film for the top prize. Most debates and reasoning reduced these two movies to their thematic issues, which is unfortunate. “My issue is more important than your issue!” “My issue has been ignored longer than your issue!”
I’m not a fan of the Academy mistaking their annual awards for political ballots. Artistic merit shouldn’t be overshadowed by the relevancy of trending causes. Sure, subject matter is important and always will be, but so is every other aspect of filmmaking—particularly when it comes to the all-encompassing Best Picture honors. As I’ve stated from the start with this blog, the goal here is to articulate my thoughts on the winners, not reduce the conversation to “who should have won instead.” That’s the easy route and lends no insight.
Crash‘s journey to Best Picture was a long one. In September of 2004, a year before it became Oscar-eligible in Los Angeles, it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival as an independent movie produced for the meager sum of $6.5 million. It lured top box-office names, however, who worked for scale. Director Paul Haggis used his own house for a key location and his own vehicle as well. Sandra Bullock paid for her own flight to make the movie. Don Cheadle doubled as co-star and co-producer. All involved believed in the project and the subject enough to step up to the plate. After Lionsgate released it in May of 2005, it did surprisingly well, bringing in $98.4 million worldwide.
Crash succeeds because it presents racism in a boldly confrontational and complex fashion. It gives us recognizable faces, like Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Don Cheadle, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Thandie Newton, and Ryan Phillippe—but no clear-cut heroes or villains are established to wear their symbolic white or black hats, which may be infuriating for some audience members who haven’t addressed their own racism.
Crash is set in a specific region of the country—Los Angeles, the second largest city in the U.S.—and this distinction fuels a monumental deception. L.A.’s expansive geography is horizontal, spreading the population out for miles, allowing everyone to congregate with their own kind in their own little “me bubbles.” If one chooses, it takes very little effort to almost never come in contact with diversity—unlike NYC, the largest city in America, which is vertical. Skyscrapers pile people on top of each other in huddled masses. When they walk out of their front doors, interaction is inevitable. I’m not saying racism isn’t a problem in New York, but it’s addressed and managed on a daily basis, out in the open. It’s far easier to avoid “unpleasant” confrontations in Los Angeles if you’re locked inside a car on a freeway or in a house in a gated neighborhood with similar people. You can deny it even exists, as many do. Crash is about the specific occasions when individuals from these different populations encounter or “crash” into each other and, as a result, suffer the consequences of pent-up hatred and ignorance.
As depicted, these incidents are awkward, abrupt, aggravating, illogical, and largely over-the-top. They’re almost laughable at first, but doubt subsides for me early on. I suppose some in the audience stop right there and move on—or at least disengage from the film for the duration. What people failed to realize two decades ago is all too clear today: these in-your-face episodes are very real. We now have social media networks, smart phones, and surveillance cameras pointing everywhere. Horrifying, improbable, surreal encounters happen all the time, just as they are presented in Crash, so when people talk about how cartoonish they seem, I learn how out-of-touch these commenters are, especially if they live in Los Angeles. This movie was made for them, because of them.
When I first moved to L.A. in 1987, I was a penniless transplant from NYC with no car. I spent two and a half years riding public transportation. I witnessed racial tension firsthand every day, but most people don’t ride the bus to work in that city. From the moment I got my car, I was free to travel where I wanted, when I wanted. I was also shielded and sheltered from that point on. The difference was significant and extraordinary.
When we talk about diversity, it’s typically regarding race, religion, orientation, or gender. On that level, Los Angeles fares much better than most cities with inclusivity. Skin color may not matter on the surface, but cultural diversity within its communities and workplaces is where understanding fails, the divide begins, and tensions mount. As long as everyone acts, thinks, speaks, behaves, and dresses the same way, everything is fine. But they don’t. Our histories and experiences are vastly different.
Paul Haggis wrote Crash after being carjacked himself. It was his way of working through the burning question, “What has happened to us?” He ended up with this ambitious ensemble piece of fast-paced scenes and intertwining storylines. Energy levels peak and emotions run high throughout. Characters are willfully disconnected yet brought together by shared situations or random luck. Our initial impressions of some are reversed or altered by the end of the film, and the acting is excellent. Crash doesn’t try to solve racism or offer a solution, other than to show us we all have the capacity to both love and hate. Good people do bad things. Bad people do good things. Human nature is complex, and perhaps our only hope of ending “crashes” is empathy. If we try to understand our differences, we stand a chance of survival.
Crash is not without faults, particularly in managing the multiple narratives, some of which seem forced or convoluted in how they are joined together. The overall impression works, regardless. It’s a bit unsettling to see Sandra Bullock or Tony Danza, for example, playing against type, but the results are effective and compelling. Two decades later, I see TV shows emulating this movie’s style, format, and overall message. Perhaps we’ve finally caught up to the common acceptance that “crashes” like these can and do happen all the time, particularly between isolated communities in a city like Los Angeles. Crash may not be the Best Picture according to everyone, but it’s a worthy selection, nonetheless.
Crash
Director | Paul Haggis |
Primary Cast | Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Thandie Newton, Michael Peña, Ryan Phillippe, Larenz Tate, Shaun Toub, Loretta Divine, William Fichtner, Keith David, Daniel Dae Kim, Nona Gaye, Tony Danza, Kathleen York |
Familiar Faces | Michael Peña from Million Dollar Baby, Keith David from Platoon |
Firsts | Paul Haggis became the first person to write the screenplay for two consecutive Best Pictures. First and only Best Picture–winner to be released before the prior Best Picture (Million Dollar Baby) since this film wasn’t exhibited in Los Angeles until 2005 |
Total Wins | 3 (Picture, Screenplay: Original, Editing) |
Total Nominations | 6 (Picture, Director, Supporting Actor: Matt Dillon, Screenplay: Original, Editing, Song: “In the Deep”) |
Viewing Format | Blu-ray Disc |
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