sublime magical realism!

Rating: 10/10 (30 November 2005)

spoilers ahead!!
the sublime magical realism of this thought-provoking exercise in interrelated character studies reminded me a lot of 'magnolia,' a film in which mysterious things also rain down from the sky and infuse the entire plot with a quality at once surreal and unavoidably real. yet, i found the underlying theme in 'crash,' with its unflinchingly honest exploration of our most mundane and gut-level racial prejudices and fears, to be such a powerful storytelling tool, that i couldn't help but instantly sympathize with the characters. two of the scenes i found most profoundly touching and ironic included the one were the young hispanic locksmith's daughter, who believes herself protected my a magic cloak, jumps in front of a 'bullet' to protect her dad. another extremely moving and introspective scene was the one were the 'angry, prejudiced' sandra bullock character hugs her maid and recognizes she may in fact be her only friend, constituting one of the most humbling expressions of the human hunger for love. this movie packs so much honesty per scene that you are forced to face your own fears and prejudices and see some part of you reflected in every one of the characters represented. the acting was top notch throughout, and as with every extremely engaging movie i have ever seen, i didn't want the amazing roller-coaster ride to come to an end.