Watch A Movie And Make The Analysis Of Its Characters (Movie Review Sample)

CRASH OF CULTURES
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There is no clear definition of good and bad person. Everything depends on the situation she or he was involved into. Racial police officer can risk his life for the sake of a black woman, and the new entry policeman, unacceptable to racism, is capable for murder. Despair Persian seller may use the gun for its intended purpose, and the Mexican locksmith, who looks like gangster, works his fingers to the bone to ensure his little daughter better life in a secure city district. Attorney’s wife suspects everyone in plot and racial carjacker safes Asian immigrants with their children. How can these people live side by side with each other? Who are the bad and good? Who is the victim and who is aggressor? The “Crash” movie, the outstanding picture of the recent time, the Oscar winner for the “Best movie”, the winner of the Academy of Awards, which vividly shows the unpredictable circumstances each person, may face with in one’s life. Challenging and provoking movie conducts the parallel between the lives of different social classes and their racial identity. This article will analyse these life crashes from a perspective of racial and cultural identity development theory and value orientation model of world views.
These days the world of economics, foreign and home standards, and the advanced technologies have put their impact on the worldwide system of cultures. Powerful nations influence the lives of citizens of smaller ones (Friedman, 2000) and do that by showing the possibilities for better life. In the United States the history of cross- cultural counseling is connected to the social and political development. It was called to fight against racism, discrimination, and prejudice which caused a lot of injustice in the country. Across the whole scenes of “Crash” movie, one can mention that there is an understanding of the culture-specific aspects of human problems as well as the process of helping. Such understanding comes after the occurred incidents in life of different characters. For instance, a police officer, the mature worker, who has fifteen years of experience, acts not appropriate, regarding the couple of rich black people whom he stopped for check. His actions are racial and unsuitable regarding the black woman and the status of the couple in general. He sees the successful people and the feeling of injustice appears. But still the officer shows his power as much as he can to prove his dominating over the situation. Physics have demonstrated that we are all interconnected (Bohm, 1980) and some events which happen in one location can simultaneously occur in the other. This may be seen in the scene where relationship between the same police officer and the insurance specialist, the black woman, shows the other side of the coin. She refuses to help officer’s sick father because of the non appropriate behavior in her office. This time the officer doesn’t control over the situation and is defeated. His powers are faced with the resistance of more powerful person, whose authority gives her right to decide whether to help him or not. Her social status gives her privilege upon the police officer’s, and such forced change of his views causes the unnecessary conflict inside of him. The first step towards the revision of his views and improving of his cultural competence are being made.
Human immigration to more developed countries was always connected with the political oppression, economics state and poverty in the native lands. A need for better life brought challenges for everyone who was involved. The character of a Mexican locksmith in the “Crash” movie describes the cultural competence of a certain person in ability to work effectively with the other cultural groups. The guy works hard twenty four hours a day to be able to live in the better district with his family, and to give his little daughter chance for a better life where no shooting would be heard outside the window. Looking some of gangster, he’s not trusted by some clients, but that is the cultural imperceptions of others, not his. Another example of the immigrants facing the new cultural differences and challenges is the Persian family which adhere cultural aspects even after migrating to the other country. A strict father, the head of a family, emotional person and irreconcilable to other people, probably faced ethnic difficulties in the past and lives with the open hostility to others, is always ready at the same time to prove his American belonging. A mother, obedient wife and careful mother, and daughter who assimilated to the new world and grew up with the feeling of ethnic belonging and readiness for cultures clashes, she simply understand the surrounding better and in her family she is the one who resolves conflicts with the outside world (scene with the gunman about the returning of money or purchasing a gun). Knowing her father character she is able to explain him much more from the point of view cultural accessory. We see his severe dislike and imperceptions of all of the non Persian origins people at the beginning of the movie (the scene in the gun store and with a specialist of locks). Father’s attitude to life may be interpreted as the result of clash with the problems while migrating, the conditions of surviving in the not native land, challenges in the new society. He could be probably robbed some time ago and this open imperceptions of all others, it’s his mechanism of control of the situations. A good owner the father has no intentions to hurt anybody and possess cultural competency. Like Mexican locksmith, the Persian is a hard working man, ready to protect his property in case of robbery. The concrete life situation makes him take a gun and use it against the “culprit” of the shop destruction.
A theory of cross-cultural counselling may be tracked in life of other character, a carjacker, who during the whole movie shows his bad attitude to white people and all their actions. Even if they do nothing to him, going along and averting their looks from him, makes the black guy think he is not respected. He criticizes white people for everything, even for the huge bus windows, which are made by white people to humiliate the people of color, those who don’t own a car and that everyone would watch them through the windows. Under the other life circumstances, the guy frees the Asian immigrants with their children and even gives them money to buy food. The perception of some nations and imperceptions of others talks better as a cultural competence of a certain character.
The way people heal or help others came from the specific cultural context and depicts the cultural values and principles of a certain society (Carter, 1995; Harner, 1990; Highlen, 1994). To understand the world views of racial and ethnic groups one should receive the information related to the cultural heritage, history background and life experience of a certain group. But of course facts are not the only way of knowing the racial- cultural characteristics; one should see them in use in a particular situation. Over the years numerous theories models of identity development were discovered.  There were model of the racial identity, specifically white identity, feminist identity, homosexual identity and religious faith.  A special cultural context and racial identity are present all over the “Crash” movie scenes. The character of a carjacker, who criticized and blamed white people for their racism, may be interpreted as the one at the Encounter stage of the Racial Identity Development theory. There exists a feeling of distrust and dislike of all the white Americans and their culture in his monologues. False information about racism led him think that many whites did not see him as an equal citizen. As there was no evidence of the contrary, he considered himself to be right. Only after facing specific events in his life, he has turned his views into a stage of Internalization. At this stage he established the relationship with other ethnic groups, the oppressed Asian immigrants he saved. The locksmith character in the movie defines himself as a part of a minority group and acts proactively in discovering the sense of himself. He wishes to stay in the society, adhering its rules and standards for his and his family better life. He has his dignity and is true to other ethnic groups and doesn’t enter into conflict with the others (the scene with the Persian seller). This character is on Introspection Stage of the Racial Identity Development theory. A family of Persians with their father is rather conflicting characters. They used to behave appropriate regarding to all laws and rules and they are seen as victims of the situations, even if provoked by their father (the broken door scene). At the beginning father is considered to be at a Contact stage, he sees racial difference, but being himself from a different ethnic group, he feels that racism is in fact propagated by the discussion and acknowledgement (Rebow, J.). Under the certain event in his life, father has moved to the stage of Reintegration, which led to the searching for a “blame-the-victim” attitude. Although the father didn’t feel the same as it is at this stage, lucky concourse of circumstances didn’t cause to the fatal mistake. We see that the father character is able to combat these feelings at the end and he is ready to think over his actions. A police officer character calls for the most contradiction in his actions during the movie. At first we see him at the stage of Contact, if taking into the consideration the White Racial Identity Development (Helms, 1990). He has some old stereotypes set up by friends, families or media. He perceives the black woman not appr...