Crash (updated)

I watched Crash last night. Wow, I don't know how to express my feelings and reaction. First, it's very very sad, and I don't like sad movies even though I think they are necessary, if you know what I mean. Life has a lot of sadness. And the Academy seems to really like sad movies (for me Crash was sadder than last year's Million Dollar Baby, though - let me confess that I missed the last fight scene, again because the baby was crying, and since it was on TV and not DVD, I couldn't replay it - and neither did I want to).

I really liked the way Crash showed how racism is so insidious in every ethnic group - this issue is not really discussed, it's a taboo in our politically correct society - in this sense I think this movie is truly important. I felt that the ethnicity that was "spared" the most criticism was the Hispanics - my husband and I were talking after we watched it, and he said that that everyone has a good and a bad side in this movie, but I found two exceptions - the hispanic locksmith (he did react explosively once, I concede, but that was it) and the hispanic housekeeper. (I did miss some very short portions of the film because my son was coughing and woke up a couple of times, and I tried to watch them again after, but correct me if I'm wrong). The hispanic police woman "racially attacks" the Chinese one in the very beginning, so I guess not all Hispanics are portrayed in a completely positive light.

Of course the movie has a lot of characters and a very unique way to tell their stories which didn't allow for extremely deep or rounded psychological portrayals of each character, but we did get the basics - these are complex people, with issues going on both in their personal and professional lives.

I was angry several times, so angry I could barely stay seated... The Black couple stopped by the police, the Persian guy beying attacked as a jihadist. And I could barely watch the little girl's scene (Isnt' life so much scarier after we become parents? I found out that filmakers and TV movie writers know really well how to get to us parents and do that very often and skillfully - not to say "appellatively") . There were many many unexpected twists, but I don't want to give the plot away, so I won't say anything about these.

I didn't watch the other Oscar contenders, but I'm really happy that this movie was chosen as best film. It also absolutely deserved best editing and screenplay -- in my humble and very uninformed opinion :)

Well, I'd love to know what anyone else thought of it!!

P.S. I still need to write something about Bride & Prejudice that I watched last weekend. Thanks Chicagomama and Libby for the suggestion!

Edited to add: I wanted to address the issue that my "blogging buddy" Juliet brought up in her comment, which is right on. I didn't feel like doing a full review in the post, so I didn't write about every ethnicity represented, but Asians are definitely under-represented and I agree with the idea that the Chinese characters' "humanity" is not really highlighted - only as regarding physical suffering, I suppose - they are not two dimensional characters either. Thanks for your comment, Juliet. I think you shouldn't see it, it will upset you.