Who directed the film?

Paul Haggis

What year was it produced?

2004

What genre is it?

Crime, Drama, Thriller

Google 'Film Themes' and state the theme or themes of this film. Thoroughly explain your
choices and include a link to your theme information source.

When I googled “film themes for Crash 2004,” I got a lot of different websites, I chose the most
reputable one, “Teach with movies.” This site claimed Crash had a theme of respect, diversity,
and the relationship between mother and son.

Which chapter are we covering this week and what is that chapter about? (Two sentences)

This week, chapters two and eleven were assigned. Chapter two revolved around the form in
film, the function, patterns, and feelings displayed in film. Chapter eleven was a detailed list of
films along with their analysis.

Using Crash, thoroughly answer the page 70 questions in our textbook. Write multiple
detailed paragraphs and include specific examples from the movie and references from the
book. Put a lot of time and effort into this section :)
1.) for any element in the film, what are its functions in the overall form? How is it motivated?

This film was motivated in illuminating the concept of life moving around you, and how your
reaction to the outside world affects what is moving around you. For example, the interaction
between the lock smith and the store owner, the store owner had no idea how bullets are a
major trigger for the family. Because of this interaction the lives involved are forever changed,
not only from the violence, but the locksmith was given a guardian angel.
2.) Are elements of patterns repeated throughout the film? If so, how and at what points? Are
motifs and parallelisms asking us to compare elements?
The elements and patterns which I observed in this film were several social perspectives being
painted, people of different cultures and lifestyles being shown simultaneously and occasionally
medaling together. Symptomatic filming is evident, all the different lives and perspectives
flipping back and forth to come to a point where they dramatically affect each other.
3.) How are elements contrasted and differentiated from one another? How are different
elements opposed to one another?
I believe that the elements opposed are; when implicit form is used to give a sense of twist in
the story line subtly crossing into each other. These twists give surprise and the satisfaction of
connecting the dots and leaving the bubbled personal perspective of each character. For
example, when the cop decides to pick up the hitchhiker and ends up shooting the kid and
dumping him over a cliff. This was a satisfying and upsetting connection of perspectives, a twist
I did not except.
4.) What principles of progression or development are at work through the form of the film?
Does a comparison of the beginning and ending point toward the films overall form?
I believe there is a comparison between the beginning and end point of the film, like the
beginning of the film, there were interactions between the different perspectives that lead
each of them to have their own presence. In the ending individual perspectives were, in most
cases, greatly affected by their pervious interactions, so when they collided again towards the
end of the film there was great tension.
5.) What degree of unity is present in the films overall form?

There is unity between the individual perspectives in the fact that they play on each other
physically and mentally. For example, when the two males run over the man opening his van,
then on of the males comes back for the van knowing it was the only option he had. Later
revealing the man who was ran over had a “business” that made him a lot of money because of
the van. The coincidences that occur from different perspectives allow a meaning to be pulled,
even though most interactions are dramatized.

Given your answers above if you were to write a film analysis essay on Crash, what would
your ONE SENTENCE thesis statement be? NOTICE that your thesis statement should include
some of the p. 70 concepts/terms. DO NOT MAKE YOUR THESIS STATEMENT BE ABOUT
RACISM OR SOCIETY OR THE MOVIE STORIES. Focus on FILM FORM.
Symptomatic ideology and Referential familiarity allow meaning to develop without clear
narrative or plot.
Read the Wikipedia entry for the Bechdel test. List the Bechdel Test rules. Does Crash pass
the Bechdel test? Why/not?
For the Bechdel test to give a positive grade, a film must have at least two women in it who
speak to each other on topics not revolved around men. Most of the conversation and screen
time was spent on male dialog, I think I counted two or three female conversations where the
center of topic was not about males. I do not think the film passes the Bechdel Test.
Works Cited

“Bechdel Test.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Feb. 2023,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bechdel_test%20%C2%A0.
Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., & Smith, J. (2020). Film art: An introduction. McGraw-Hill

Education.

“Crash.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 6 May 2005,

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375679/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0.
“Home.” Teach with Movies, https://teachwithmovies.org/crash/%C2%A0.

©McGraw-Hill Education
Form and Meaning

Referential: meanings within a film that rely on

familiarity with significant places or things.

Explicit: meanings that are openly asserted.

Implicit: an implied or interpreted meaning.

Symptomatic: an abstract, general meaning that

depends on social ideology.