CRASH -- into me.

Released in the spring of 2005, Crash, the winner of three Academy Awards, tells the story of peoples’ lives colliding in the city of Los Angeles. It is an exclusive tale of African Americans, Latinos, Asians, Persians, rich and poor, powerful and powerless, dominant and subordinate. This motion picture depicts images of racism, prejudice, privilege, and stereotypes.

This movie captivates its audience by its presentation of impulsive behaviors and its portrayal of real interactions and situations. The audience will quickly be overcome with emotion as the lives and backgrounds of the characters are revealed; as they become more understandable, the movie becomes more riveting. Director Paul Haggis takes a profound look at racism and how often it goes unnoticed. At the same time he forces us to reflect on our own personal lives and the pictures in our heads. Whether it happened through fate, chance, coincidence, or luck, the lives of these main characters crash into one another. Due to their perceptions and assumptions, they are unable to see the real person they are interacting with, and instead concede to the stereotypical judgments.

Crash begins and ends in the same place, with a crash. In between, it explores the 36 hours prior to the devastating event. It tells the story of a black detective with a drug addict mother and criminal younger brother, a white District Attorney with a distraught wife who does not attempt to hide her racism and a Latino locksmith with tattoos who is nothing but a family man. It reveals the feelings two black young men have about discrimination and racism, while they look for cars to steal, a Persian family mistaken for Iraqis who have their store robbed and vandalized, and a Korean man who seems innocent and suspicious at the same time. Two white police officers, influenced by their own personal problems and each other and a black couple torn apart by a white privileged world.

I don’t expect that this movie, the winner of 3 Academy Awards including Best Achievement in Editing, Best Writing, and Best Motion Picture of the Year, will work any miracles. However, it will command the attention of its audience every time it is viewed. It will provide its viewers with a sense of understanding and move its audience to feel at least a slight bit of empathy and sympathy for those unlike themselves. This movie provides hope for those who view it that one day we will be able to move from dwelling on our differences to appreciating our similarities.