The work is poignant. Its statement: trust and sincerity.

Rating: 10/10 (23 September 2007)

The movie Crash, co-written, directed, and produced by Paul Haggis, is an image of honesty, violence, truth, and irony projected beautifully onto the screen. Crash was nominated for six Academy Awards and won Oscars for best picture and best original screenplay in 2004. The plot intertwines people of all genders, ages, and races into a braided rope of human unity.
The works of Paul Haggis can not be looked upon as trivial. Nearly ever screenplay he has written has claimed success. Among the list is Academy Award winner Million Dollar Baby, and Flags of Our Fathers. In 2003 Razor magazine published a list of, "nonconformists that defy dictates, the iconoclasts that cling to independent thought, the radicals that refuse adherence - that give us pause. They are what legends are made of." And sitting within the top 25 was Paul Haggis. After watching Crash, it is evident why.
"It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something."
These were the first and the last words spoken in the movie, and they give an excellent depiction of what diction can be expected while watching. Almost every word provokes thought, so this movie is not one to catch on a light-hearted whim.
The characters in Crash are presented and are almost immediately developed. There is no superficial, graceful entry into their lives; instead the audience is harshly, honestly, and abruptly thrown into each character's engagements. Through a series of their actions and consequences, the movie emphasizes how vital it is for human kind (despite race, age, or gender) to be honest with each other.
The work is poignant. Its statement: trust and sincerity are the only things that will keep humankind sane and progressive.