The movie Crash provides a beautiful narrative of a 36-hour struggle of hate, disgust, prejudice, heroism, forgiveness, fear, love, sacrifice, and discrimination. The star studded cast of the film tells the stories of officers of the racially motivated L.A.P.D, the white district attorney of Los Angeles, a black detective, a black film director, a Persian shop owner, and a Hispanic working-class lock repairman. In a twist of fate decisions are placed before each character depicting how we shape our lives and the lives of others by our hermeneutic. This powerful film won the 2005 academy awards for best picture, achievement in editing, and best screenplay, as well as 50 other awards and 74 nominations.
In this movie great pain was shown by all of the characters. Because of this, lives were saved and lost at the same time. We were shown that indifference to equality on any level is avoidable for only so long and that motivations really do matter. But it is the result of the crash between volatile cast that cuts to the core of the humanity that supersedes us all. It is such that is a resultant of referencing the Kingdom of God, the singularity and universality of morality. Power, raw and to some degree, infinite in scope is shown to us in both the good and the bad. We are shown that we always have a choice and that those choices always matter. The praxis of each character was never simplistic, it provided questions for examining our heremeneutical foundation and how it came to be. It is for this that the Kingdom is being called in this film, there is a calling to view specifically human beings with equality regardless of what we consider contingent circumstances.
Jeffrey, I really liked the way you described the movie. I too have seen this movie and still ask myself the question on why is it that after all this country has gone through we still cannot get past prejudice racial comments? This film may have a few uncomfortable scenes, but it is through those scenes that some people can see reality. Yes, Hollywood can exaggerate at times but that doesn't mean its not always true. However I do believe you proved your point.
ReplyDelete"We always have a choice and that those choices always matter." Or, to paraphrase Walsh and Keesmaat: "The language of inevitability is the language of the empire." You're right, Jeff, that there are choices to be made and that those choices matter. We always need to be imaginative when contemplating the choices before us in an effort to open up possibilities we hadn't yet considered.
ReplyDeleteBut we also need to remember that the same availability of choices isn't available to everyone. Some choices have been closed off for some and not for others. As someone who is remarkably privileged without merit (white, American, heterosexual, etc. -- all things I didn't choose or earn in any way), I need to be particularly careful when analyzing the choices of others who don't share my privilege.
So ... both/and.