An insightful and honest commentary about the current state of racism in America

Rating: 8/10 (1 March 2006)

I thoroughly enjoyed Crash because its perspective on life closely parallels my own.
We bounce around like pinballs, colliding with one another and very frequently doling out injustice to each another. Every now and then through bizarre coincidence, we have the fortune, or misfortune, of colliding with someone from a previous encounter. There are several ways to handle this. If the other person was someone you previously wronged, then you can either flee and avoid further confrontation, or you can try to make amends. If the other person previously injured you, you may try to turn your cheek and forgive, but it's all the more tempting to seek retribution which results in harm greater than what you had suffered; thus conflicts escalate and negative energy builds like a snowball rolling down a hill growing into an avalanche towards some hapless victim at the bottom.
However, most likely you'll hardly ever strike the same person twice in a large city. Instead each encounter will be fresh to you. But each pinball carries with it the weight of prior negative, and positive, collisions. A person in a foul mood from an earlier rude encounter or bitter at being wronged by a person of another race or culture, may lash out at you instead. And hence the cycle continues.
This is further exacerbated by the prevalence of cars in our society. Hiding behind "metal and glass," we can drive rudely, cut off others, run people off the road, with the safety of anonymity and instant escape (ironically, this specific point was not explored in depth in the movie).
Crash reminds us that the world we live in may be smaller than we think. Maybe you did nothing to incur the irrational wrath of a stranger, but what if someone you know did? You may escape the consequences of an injury you inflict on a stranger, but what if that angry person proceeds to injure someone you know? Does it matter at all how far removed you are from the ultimate result? Crash also reminds us how easy it is to succumb to anger, bitterness, and abuse of power. People are frail, vulnerable and imperfect, but with conscious and vigilant fortitude, they can overcome the negative tendencies of human nature. Crash reminds us that though it's not easy, you can attempt to mitigate and relieve the suffering, injustice, and pent-up bitterness with patience, courage, and understanding.
Crash is a must-see movie for everyone.