The Damaging Treatment of Racism and the Assertion of Stereotypes in “Crash” Knight Dhuke College

There no doubt that Paul Haggis’ 2004 film Crash is the most disparaged best picture winner at the Oscars leading to the coining of the term ‘Worst Best Picture’. It is definitely not out of no good reason that it faces so much scrutiny for its inept and melodramatic portrayal of race and racism in Los Angeles. The controversial film follows various individuals of different racial and ethnic backgrounds as they 'crash' with each other in an interconnected chain of events. The encounters involve reactions around different stereotypes constructed by society towards specific racial groups. While the film is splendidly crafted with significant emotional weight in each encounter it falls short in its subject matter. In essence, the film’s intention is to examine and handle the issue of race and racism in the contemporary climate. However, by the end of the film each specific interaction seems to reinforce the same problems it intends to critique. Crash unrealistically handles the problem of racism as a construct that is easily solvable while solidifying the racial categories and stereotypes.

The film utilizes sentimentality and melodrama to handle racism which essentially obscures the ingrained racial issues that still cripplingly...