Crash (1996)

This review/personal analysis hybrid of Crash was the final extended writing I composed post-filmwatching during my junior year at college -- papers for my film classes not withstanding. My overall rating for the film was 3.5 stars out of a possible 4. On my scale, 3.5 stars qualifies as "very good".

The music was off-putting, but it fit. The screenplay was off-putting, but it fit. Every performance was phenomenal, apart from Holly Hunter’s, which was more a distraction than anything else. Roger Ebert was correct when he wrote that David Cronenberg created a film “that is pornographic in form, but not in result.” The dialogue is at times as cheesy as porn scripts, especially during the sex scenes when two characters converse. However, this film is not pornographic because the sex scenes are not wholly explicit nor excessively performative. They are slightly performative, attempt to present a mixture of genuine chemistry and lusting, and intimate. Or feature a lack of intimacy, depending on the scene.

Cronenberg has made a film that is very difficult to love, but not a very difficult film to appreciate. He has instead made a film that is very easy to hate and cast out; a film that is even difficult to appreciate if you solely look at a film for its moralistic components or its congruency with your own moral values. I am in awe of what I just watched. It is certainly not the best film that I have seen, the best film from the 20^th century, the best film from the 1990s, nor the best film from 1996. But what is it? It is a film that pokes at the inner workings of the human mind. A film that challenges you by asking, “If what is presented within me doesn’t interest you, doesn’t arouse you, doesn’t engage you, then what, pray tell, does do those things to you?”

The descent of the characters is fascinating. Vaughan, played menacingly and enticingly by Elias Koteas, first seems like a medical professional with a couple of screws loose who develops, especially after the death of his close friend and "colleague" Seagrave (Peter MacNeill), into a madman beset on haunting and torment to achieve his ultimate desire. Vaughan is an automobile self-sadist and masochist who strives to corrupt the other individuals in his cult, particularly those who are the most involved with him socially, physically, mentally, and intimately. The characters that he actively targets the most are the Ballards (James Spader and Deborah Kara Unger), Gabrielle (Rosanna Arquette) and Dr. Remington (Hunter). However, he is something that no one else in the group is: a psychopath. Many of the characters do not recognize this like the audience does, apart from the Ballards.

So, why do the Ballards realize this instead of those who have known him longer? I don’t have an answer for this, but my theory is that everyone else already has their own desires within the cult's fetish that dominate their lives. Dr. Remington seems to be the most removed from the car crash sexual fetish. Her obsession appears to be sex in cars and watching cars crash, but not the two together. That is not to say that she is averse to being in a car crash, that just happens to be a perk that she can do with or without. While sharing a fascination for the fatal Jayne Mansfield car crash with Vaughan, Seagrave's obsession is so extreme that he dresses up and re-enacts it on a public highway with no care given to the violence and destruction that he causes to innocent civilians that do not share this fetish. But the Ballards are new to the group and its focus. The Ballards are free agents when it comes to sexual desire: they are seeking something new to revitalize their failing intimacy, since opening up their marriage and regaling each other of their conquests still leaves them feeling stagnant. Vaughan’s mental state begins to deteriorate much quicker when the Ballards come into the fray. They see the quick change in him, while the others just see a deepening involvement and spike in interest.

But when it comes to Crash, I suppose there is one question that is more prevalent and relevant than any other: Is this film watchable? Yes, it is. Now, it's certainly not the film for just any casual filmgoer, but I wouldn't say you have to be a Cinemaniac to find it watchable and worthwhile. I simply think that it depends on the person. If you are a fan of adult entertainment, then this may not be for you because it is paced very differently and does not have the staples of that industry. If you are put off by sex in films or intentional harm in general, avoid this at all costs. If you are just looking for something to watch when you’re bored, maybe don’t watch this one. It may only be 96 minutes long, but it will occupy an extensive space in your mind for hours afterwards. And this absolutely is not a film to put on if you're just looking for background noise, because it requires, and will steal, your full attention. But if you are into character studies, then this is definitely the film for you. This is also a film that I would recommend working your way up to watching, but you will certainly be rewarded, as the analysis of the characters here is among the best in film.

Now, did I like this film? I certainly expected to love it, but I did not expect this film to be as polarizing to my conscience, humanity, soul, and mind as it was. But I did like it. I did not like most of the content presented, but I liked the direction of the film, the audacity, the daring, the distant and unbelievable natures of the characters that made them so lifelike. More than anything, I liked what this film did to me. I do not like films (or any form of media for that matter) that display embarrassing or awkward situations, which I admittedly find ironic because I often make situations awkward, be it intentionally or accidentally. However, I liked the uneasiness that this film gave me. I liked that this film really pushed me to the edge. I liked that this film had no issue with isolating its viewer. In fact, with a film that deals with content such as this, I welcome the isolation. It's this isolation that helps keep you separate from the film and use what you are watching to critique yourself. No film has ever done this for me the way that Crash did. And as a result, I will never be able to forget Crash, nor would I want to.