The Best Picture of the Year

Rating: 10/10 (15 August 2007)

"Crash" is a motion picture experience not to be missed. It's truly miraculous how writer/director Paul Haggis and his team creates such a poignant and important story with so many characters, that by the end of the 1 hour 45 Minute running time (so short of a film of this degree of characterization), one feels so connect to these people.
I've seen the film 4 times now and my last viewing was the most powerful for me. It's a testament to the care and passion put into the writing by Haggis and Robert Moresco, and the dramatic execution of the story. I'm sure most people have seen the film given it deservedly won the Oscar for Best Picture, so I won't go into detail on the events of the story. It's amazing how with only a few scenes with each of the dozen characters the film follows, I felt so engaged by their lives and choices, and genuinely connected to their struggles. The way that Haggis touches on the most authentic and dramatic beats of each, and the skill and confidence he has telling these intertwining stories is the work of a master storyteller and consummate filmmaker. And this was Paul's feature directing debut which makes it especially inspiring and noteworthy.
For me, the strongest elements were the use of the little girl and her idealistic sense of courage and faith, and how she became such a beacon of appreciation and hope for her father (Michael Pena) and the store owner who threatened him (Dato Bakhtadze). It was so touching and beautifully executed. Also, one of the final scenes with Tom (Ryan Phillippe) and Peter (Larenz Tate) was powerful, especially in its representation. I wondered why in this film the most devastating action was the shooting of a benign criminal by a good cop. Upon closer analysis of the film, I believe that this is the perfect metaphor for the world today. Tom is a good cop who decided to sell out on his principles and not follow through on his actions to expose Matt Dillon's character's shady police work. Peter is a criminal with strong spiritual beliefs who consciously knows better yet still continues to do wrong. By having the good guy who does nothing and the bad guy who knows better being the two to have the final and focal conflict (the film starts off with the aftermath of this action), we see that these are the types of people that are shaping the world the way that it is today. The tragic and painful context of the world today is largely a result of the good that do nothing and the bad that know better. That's what I took from it and for me it opens up a lot of conversation on this important issue. A great film presents powerful themes, and "Crash" cuts to the heart of the issues. Ultimately, this film has a hopeful message rooted in unity, forgiveness, love and transformation. And the realism of the characters in the relateable and believable social context makes the experience all the more personal and topical.
"Crash" is easily one of my top 10 favorite films, and I look forward to what filmmakers like Paul Haggis, Robert Moresco, Bob Yari, Cathy Schulman and their teams create in the future. This is a near perfect film in my opinion. Dramatic. Important. Poignant. Enpowering. Great writing, acting and directing. 11/10.