Crash

We went out to the Grosvenor cinema to see Crash - "moving at the speed of life, we are bound to collide with each other" - the other night. The Grosvenor, a two-screen independent cinema, is how cinemas should be: there is a bar (you can take your drinks into the film, if you transfer them from glass to plastics); the seats are leather armchairs set in twos; the screens are big enough to be worth not staying at home watching TV but small enough to be intimate, not overwhelming; likewise the capacity is big enough to be part of an event, yet small enough to feel a connection with those around you.

Crash is excellent. It is a demanding film to watch - not everybody's cup of tea - but well worth the effort. The main theme is racial tension, but this is by no means a one-theme story - it takes on tension between husband and wife, adult child and elderly parent, and work colleagues to name but three others - and none of the themes are dealt with in a simplistic (black-and-white) way. Jo's verdict was, depressing. While the storyline was depressing, I found the excellent script, cinematography, cast, and the fact that Hollywood should handle such a relevant issue at all, all incredibly hopeful. This is a film that confronts our own prejudices, that will make you feel uncomfortable, reassess your own attitudes towards others, and maybe even drive you to the cross in hope of transformation...