VCRkilledtheRadio: Crash

1.)What do you feel is the message the director is trying to express in this movie? Support your answer with examples.

The director was trying to talk about race and the way we view race as a society. He wanted to show that we all have hate in us and given the right circumstances and the wrong decisions we can all be monsters. He wanted to show the path of devastation left behind by hate and that even the worst kind of people can do the right thing when given the choice. The movie starts with a “crash” and ends with one to show that sooner or later we are all dragged into conflict with other people.

(saying something racist...)

2.) If applicable , discuss if you think this movie has accurate depictions of minorities or if they are situational? Why or why not?

I really thought about this question my second watch through. I paused the movie and mentally changed the color of the people in the seen. I left the voice and the cloths the same. All I changed was the color of their skin. The actors did an amazing job in this movie of making every character a person and not a stereo type that the color of their skin (just my 2 cents) truly didn’t matter. When a character did something racist or morally wrong I didn’t think of the color of their skin but there background. Why they made the that terrible choice. Even blatant racism was explained and made the view realize that it was them trying to be hurtful or they were scared and not really believing what they are saying. This painted the racism as more of a defense mechanism then just blind hate.

(Americas princess being SUPER racist...because she was mugged and now is scared but doesn't know what to do...So she turns on the super nice locksmith. Plus this screen shot made me laugh.)

(My favorite character just trying to do his job and pretty woman is just being a racist bitch...)

(This character was only put in the scene to drum up tension...I feel like she might be the most racist part of the movie...really doesn't have any lines but is put as the aid of the husband with a racist wife...the movie never say it but I got the feeling that her and her boss...played by Brendan Fraser...aka monkeybone...were sleeping together.)

3.) Explain if you think the director’s ethnic/cultural/professional background played a role in directing this film?

I think he did. Being a non-racist white man (and for the most part from Iowa) I feel like I have to go out of my way to prove that I’m not racist. It’s silly I know but it’s a real thing. I have found myself saying and doing things that I would NEVER normally do (here is a small list of these things in no real order….high five, low five, weird slang, liking some music I think is lame,ect, ect, ect) to prove that I’m “down” with all people of color. Some would say that in itself is a bit racist but it comes from a good place. With that being said I feel like has done the same thing and it comes out in the movie.

(When he said "FUCKING black people"....honestly I paused the movie and looked around...in my own house..just to make sure no one else overheard it)

4.)What groups (people of color, nationality, culture, class,gender etc.) may be offended or misinterpret this movie and why?

No one that comes to the movie with an open mind and clear head. The movies is about human conflict and thus is also about race. When we are looking to hurt another we go after things that a different about them. Gender, race, ear size (this one haunted for years), ect to find a person’s weak spots. In anger all we want is the person to hurt as much as we do. When we know someone its easy to hurt them…we know what they love, fear, and the mistakes they have made in there live but when we don’t know them we have to use what we have. Their appearance, their accent, clothes, ect. That fuels our weapon of hate. Is it stupid…YES! But as human beings we can be very stupid.

(victim of racism in this scene....)

(...and now is the one being racist)

5.)What did the movie added to your visual literacy?

The movie used a lot of close up’s. It showed emotion and gave the characters believability. Made you feel for them even when you hated them!

(Just a few close up shoots...there is a lot more.)

(...about to say something racist.)

(Just got done saying something racist..)

(rapist...and racist...)

(PISSED!)

6.)What kind of artistic and/or visual means did the director use in the movie to focus our attention?

Close ups. The director had to find just the right actors to play these roles. The faces in this movie showed too much emotion for just any actor to play. It tricked me into thinking I wasn’t watching a movie but somehow these characters were real and it was happening in real time. I truly started to care for them and their struggles. I even cried once and I believe this caring came from the emotional connection I made with the characters from the close ups.

(More close-ups)