Monday, November 12, 2012

Crash



  1. What do you feel is the message the director is trying to express in this movie?  Support your answer with examples.
I believe that the message that the director is trying to express is the problems with the “single story.”  We have stereotypes of people, and it effects how we treat certain groups of people.  I also think the director wanted to show how we live lives so closely related, yet we don’t know much about each other; when we “crash” into each other, it can cause issues but we can learn things that we were blind to before.
  1. If applicable, discuss if you think this movie has accurate depictions of minorities or if they are situational? Why or why not?
I think that some things in the movie are situational, but a lot of the things are accurate.  One thing that is accurate is the feelings the different races have towards each other.  Another thing that is accurate is the stereotypes that are put on certain groups of people.  When the “good cop” at the end of the movie shoots and kills the black guy, I believe that was situational.  I don’t think it comes down to physical violence the majority of the time.  However, I do think that a white man with a black guy in his car may have a guard up and be nervous around them.  I do think every one of these things in this movie have probably happened in one way or another. 
  1. Explain if you think the director’s ethnic/cultural/professional background played a role in directing this film?
I think that the director has had to have studied and been around a lot of different people.  I don’t know if his background played a role, however it wouldn’t surprise me if they have had similar situations happen to him.  He clearly understands the unfairness surrounded with stereotyping people and felt it was necessary to show the harm and damage that it can do. 
  1. What groups (people of color, nationality, culture, class,gender etc.) may be offended or misinterpret this movie and why?
Any “group” portrayed in this movie could look at it in a bad light.  They are all shown stereotyping at one point or another.  Black people may be offended because the two main black guys steal cars.  White people may be offended because think come off in this movie as “thinking they are better than others.” Cops could be offended because they are portrayed as bad guys at certain points in the movie.  I think any race/culture/ethnicity/gender/nationality/class could be offended with this movie, but if they really look at the message that the director is trying to show us I don’t think they will be. 
  1. What the movie added to your visual literacy?
I have watched this movie many times in the past, and I’ve always enjoyed the message that it sent.  I think that putting together such as great story and showing situations that could/do happen in real life effects the way I think about stereotyping much more than just discussing it.  Seeing situations happen in front of me lets myself in the characters mind more and helps be better understand my own stereotypes and the “single stories” I may have. 
  1. What kind of artistic and/or visual means did the director use in the movie to focus our attention?
There was“darkness” to this movie that I noticed throughout the whole thing.  The lighting made the movie appear more serious, and give us a sense that there was something serious happening.  I also noticed that a lot of the times, the characters were shown “straight on” and not from any angle that may suggest one thing or another.  I may be making an assumption, but I believe this may have been to show everyone as equal throughout the entire movie, and to show each character as an individual. 
http://www.contactmusic.com/movie-review/crash2004

http://www.ahashare.com/torrents-details.php?id=121324
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews17/crash_dvd_review.htm


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