A brilliantly crafted message that the title doesn't even hint to.

Rating: 8/10 (13 May 2011)

Crash reminds me of a drama piece I did for an exam - an ensemble of different characters and events that seem separate but are related in theme and statement. Every performance in this film is excellent; every part no matter how small has been carefully thought out and acted with skill. All writing, acting and directing are fantastic, and special praise for the editing and the structure of the piece which always keeps you engaged and keeps the pace at the correct tempo.
Any problems I had with the film were probably just ones of taste; in terms of an artistic work, Crash is essentially perfect. It deals with racism in so many different and intelligent ways that, combined with great acting, give us a real sense of reality. However in the first 20- 30 Min's I felt like I was being bashed over the head with the message: RACISM IS BAD, with every character talking about race and discrimination which seemed unnatural to me. But that was most likely just to make it really clear to the audience what was being dealt with, and the narrative and dialogue settle after a while to deliver some truly amazing stuff.
Another gripe I had with this was that, as with my drama piece, it was very difficult to become emotionally attached to any of the characters as just as you get focused on one guy, it jumps to the next and you don't see the same characters on screen for another half an hour. Again, this was intentional - this film is to make us think, not feel; to reflect on our own attitudes and question ourselves what we would do in the same position.
A truly brilliant artwork, but it is in no sense a standard film as it's purpose is to convey a message through its story. It reminds me somewhat of Requiem For a Dream, in a good way, but without the emotional impact as we can't really connect with the characters too well. I shed a few tears at one bit though. In summary, it does exactly what its meant to do and any faults that can be found are merely due to discrepancy of taste.
8/10.