Just finished watching the move Crash for the second time. And let me tell you, it's just as poignant the second go round; I'm still reeling. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's available on Netflix, and I highly, highly recommend giving it a watch. Just log in on your own account or steal a buddy's login info, whatever you need to do.
Based in Los Angeles, the movie does an incredible job of showing the intertwined stories of at least 8 characters. They're characters are the astounding part. The movie seems defined by complexity. The way the characters are presented, you find yourself able to identify with every one of them. You see the good and the bad of nearly every character, and by the end of the movie no one is idolized and no one is demonized. People are just people.
The events of the movie are heartbreaking and at times horrifying, and they carry the weight of reality. Scene after scene, we see displays of injustice and racism and we're forced to see that as much as these exist in the fiction of the film, they are reflections of reality. The audience is left with a greater awareness of the depth of the world's brokenness, but without concrete answers or concrete resolution.
When the credits begin to roll after the last scene, I feel a deep need for more. It's a feeling that I recognize as God's invitation to be a part of the resolution that is still happening. The movie is left unresolved, because the reality is that the issues of racism that it portrays are still unresolved in our world. In my mind, the response that this movie demands lies in God. As broken people, we are constantly inflicting our brokenness upon each other. Despite redemptive acts of kindness and compassion, we cannot simply undo the brokenness around us, nor the brokenness in us. What this world needs is beyond us; this world needs God.
Without a God who is beyond limit and without fault, the cycle of brokenness that Crash portrays will continue. I hope that you will join me in recognizing that we are being invited to meet this brokenness, and by God's power to be part of the work of healing our broken world. I have yet to find a more compelling reason to live this life.
I feel as though I'm being redundant, but apparently this is the best I can do at 2 a.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment