CAPS blog #2 Interpretive Approach on "Crash"

      The assignment for intercultural communication and relating a movie to the interpretive perspective grabbed my attention as soon as I saw “Crash” listed as one of the movies. This movie is actually one of my favorites and I thoroughly enjoy it. The movie does a tremendous job of bringing all of the sub stories together and intertwining the lives of everybody into one big picture.  “Crash” depicts and plays heavily on stereotypes for a wide range of characters. It identifies well with the belief that an interpretive approach is not easily predicted nor predetermined (Martin & Nakayama 60). There are also ample opportunities and connections to many, if not all of the cultural patterns. There are a few specific themes/incidents in the film that stick out in my mind and give me goose bumps, even before re-watching it. I think it is beyond a great example of cultural identity. 

The first cultural pattern and almost constant theme is Anthony as Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. He plays heavily on the racist theme or his race/ethnicity. He demonstrates this in many scenes in the movie. More specifically, towards the beginning of the film, he speaks to his friend Peter Waters (played by Larenz Tate) about how windows on buses are only there, “. . . To humiliate the people of color who are reduced to riding on it”. He is in the business of stealing cars. More comments from him include, “We’re black and black people don’t tip”, as he’s referring to his experience at a restaurant and how the white people received more cups of coffee.  This continuous pattern appears to reveal the strong beliefs of African Americans and the way they are treated by society. It fails to reveal Anthony's reasons for having such a strong view of why he feels so strongly about his race and discrimination. My guess is he was raised that way. Later, towards the end of the movie, we see a softer side of Anthony when one of his customer’s wants to purchase Cambodian people that were in the back of a van and he drives them away and lets them free. His friend, Peter Waters, is in a way, the voice of reason. He tries to do the right thing, even though he is involved with criminal activity, which brings me to the next cultural pattern.

Peter Waters are an African-American who, in my opinion, just seems like has hung around the wrong crowd or group of friends and gets himself in compromising situations. He has a good heart and tries to be ethical. He is also a Catholic and carries a mini statue of St. Christopher. He uses the suction on the bottom of the fixture to stick to the dashboard of cars him and his “partner”, if you will, Anthony, steals throughout the movie. He is hitchhiking one night, and Officer Tom Hansen picks him up in an unmarked vehicle. They get to talking and he comments on the country music playing. Officer Tom Hansen acts unenthused when Anthony mentions loving ice-skating. This is not seen as a typical sport that African-Americans enjoy. Officer Tom Hansen feels insulted and pulls over the car. He asks Peter to get out. Peter later puts his hands in his pockets and the officer tells him to put his hands where he can see them.  Peter says, “You want to see what’s in my hands? I’ll show you what’s in my f****** hands”. As soon as he goes to reveal what was hidden, Officer Tom shoots him. Right before Peter takes his last breath; his fist unclenched to reveal the statue of St. Christopher. The scene depicts the conclusions one may jump to base on what he or she has been taught or from past experiences. It’s almost a life lesson to never be so sure or to not make assumptions. 

 The third and final pattern that I can remember from the film and later refreshed my memory with is the “crooked cop”, Officer John Ryan, played by Matt Damon.  A vehicle is pulled over by John Ryan and his partner, Officer Tom Hansen, (Ryan Phillippe) and is suspected as stolen. The people inside the vehicle, Cameron and Christine (played by (Terrence Howard and Thandie Newton) were engaging in a sexual act while driving. Officer John Ryan asks them to step outside the car and begins searching Christine. He inappropriately touches Christine and threatens to convict them.  As if the previous scene is not intense enough, later in the movie, Christine and Officer John Ryan meet again. 

Christine is turned over inside of her car that has just crashed. Gasoline is leaking from her vehicle.  The officer on the scene to save her, is who in the past, had molested her. She shrieks in fear and immediately knows who he is. She cries for anyone but him. He ends up cutting her seat belt and saving her life, moments before the car blows up. The scene is extremely intense, and makes me teary-eyed every time.  It really does make you think. This man recently molested Christine, and the next thing you know, he’s rescuing her from dying. It reinforces the interpretive approach in that predicting behavior is not a goal. 

“Crash” is rich with culture and stereotypes. Every situation is interlinked and has a background story, a lot like real people in real life. I feel like it is a definite classic and can be watched over and over again and each time something new can be noticed. I knew as soon as I saw the title listed for this assignment, without a doubt it was the best choice for me to write about.

                 

References

Crash. Dir. Paul Haggis. Perf. Sandra Bullock and Don Cheadle. Lions Gate Films, 2005.

     Netflix.com. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. <http://movies.netflix.com/WiPlayer?movieid=70023961&     
     trkid=1464504&locale=en-US>.

Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2012). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th ed.). 
     Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.