Crash, directed by Paul Haggis, is a film that follows a range of characters whose lives intertwine over the course of 24 hours. These characters all have different cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds, but are each facing the same issues of racial prejudice and stereotyping because of their differences. This makes the idea that “films are primarily concerned with the issues of everyday people” a highly accurate statement in regards to Crash. Crash provides an in-depth look into these issues of prejudice and stereotyping and shows how they affect everyone’s lives.
The opening scene is great in presenting the issue of racism right from the start. There has been a pile-up on a motorway and Detective Ria is soon arguing with an Asian lady. “I ‘blake’ too fast? I’m sorry, you no see my ‘blake’ lights”? …Maybe you see over steering wheel, you ‘blake’ too. ” These harsh words set the film up for a story full of racism and prejudice. Paul Haggis uses this negative mood to show the anger and frustration that is a main factor in causing the racism. Ria’s partner, Detective Graham also compares the racism to the crash they’ve just had. “In L. A. , nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. What Haggis is showing is that when you’re in your car, you feel safe and oblivious to everything outside of your world because you are secluded in your own little space. It’s only if you crash that you have to deal with the reality of what’s happening outside your own life. This is much the same with racial prejudice. You can live in your own little bubble, but when you find yourself “crashing into” someone else’s life, you’ll be forced to deal with your racial prejudices. Haggis wanted to show the audience that you can’t avoid racism and that we need to acknowledge our racial tendencies before we can change the way society reacts.
By having such a large range of characters that ‘crash’ into each other he was also able to show how different the reactions of people are but how they all end up being racist to some extent. There is racism within everyone and it is a topic that people don’t like to discuss. By presenting the issue in Crash, we are required to recognize our flaws. One thing that all humans are guilty of is stereotyping others. Our first impression of someone is normally based on what they look like and we classify certain looks into certain categories. Everyday people form opinions of others from what and who they are associated with.
This is particularly true for race, as a person’s race is one of the most noticeable things about them. Stereotyping is apparent throughout Crash with most of the characters forming opinions on others because of their preconceived ideas about their race. One character wrongly stereotyped is Mexican locksmith, Daniel. He is first judged by Jean, a wealthy white housewife who refers to him as the guy with “the shaved head, the pants around his ass, the prison tattoos. ” Jean was convinced that he was going to sell her house keys to one of his “gang banger friends”.
Contrary to her assumptions, he is a gentle and caring family man who is working hard to provide a safe home for his wife and daughter. The Persian shopkeeper also assumes that Daniel is dodgy and is part of a scheme to rip him off. “You cheat me, you cheat me”, he says when Daniel says that the lock is fixed but that he needs a new door. The shopkeeper is so convinced that he is crooked, that he ignores what Daniel has to say. Neither Jean nor the Persian took the time to recognize Daniel as an individual and move past their preconceived ideas.
What Haggis was trying to convey is how easy it is for humans to stereotype people into groups and not treat them as an individual. These wrong ideas of Daniel encourage the audience to think about their own lives and reflect on how they may be mistakenly stereotyping the people they meet. In today’s society there is the pressure to not be racist, or at least conceal their racism. This is a relevant issue for everyday people as no-one wants to be frowned upon and called a racist so people often keep their racist thoughts to themselves. One character who does this in Crash is Jean’s husband, Rick Cabot. Rick is the L.
A District Attorney and so is careful to appear unprejudiced so that he will be voted for by white and black people. When he is car jacked by the two black men he is really annoyed. “Why do these guys have to be black? No matter how we spin this thing, I’m either gonna lose the black vote or I’m gonna lose the law and order vote! What we need is a picture of me pinning a medal on a black man. ” Haggis wanted to show how people will conceal their true feelings and present what others want them to see. Cabot didn’t want to appear racist to the public but was free to curse and put down black men in private.
This shows the audience how even if someone isn’t racist or prejudiced towards you, it doesn’t mean that that flaw is not there, it’s just hiding. We are all confronted with racial situations but it’s how we react to them that really matters. In Crash, the idea that films are primarily concerned with the issues of everyday people is very truthful. Racism is one of the largest issues in society as it affects everyone in some way. People deal with its consequences on a daily basis and although the film is set in L. A. the prejudice and stereotyping shown is present all over the world.
