Communication is one of the most important activities in human life that helps people to exchange any information or thoughts with each other. The international communication, in its turn, is a kind of communication that can occur even across borders of different countries. One of the greatest examples in nowadays’ cinematography, the movie that contains many intercultural lessons, is the film directed by Paul Haggis – Crash.
The movie Crash shows its viewers different people and their encounters that were happening during thirty six hours. Moreover, these persons are the representatives of different races and nations. After all, their encounters are ended up in fear, chaos, fights and tears (Scott 2005). During these thirty six hours, the life of ordinary people is getting through discrimination towards other races and even through racism itself. From the point of view of all the characters in this movie, the racism is not only a common thing, but it also affects everyone. However, Crash highlyportrays not only the afore pointed problem, but a process of intercultural communication in whole, as well. It is no wonder that Crash won an Academy Award as the best picture. It is the movie that can make anyone feel uncomfortable because of seeing all these acts of discrimination on the screen, one can easily remember his or her own acts of this kind, too. Crash made what other films just cannot do in the whole history of cinematography – it showed people their own mistakes, fears, and prejudices. Communication in that movie plays not the least part. However, according to the chosen picture, intercultural communication among the characters creates not only conflicts based on racial misunderstanding, but also difficulties in the relationships between them. For instance, in the scene, where two cars crashed each other, a Mexican detective whose name was Ria instead of talking about the crash, started arguing with the owner of the second car – an Asian woman. Both of them are trying to accuse each other, kindly mentioning each other’s race. The scene mentioned above shows its viewers an example of communication act made with the help of similar languages, which serves as a link between two characters of different races for providing the understanding between them. Moreover, in the movie is also presented another kind of intercultural communication – communication with the help of gestures (Harris 2012). It is clearly demonstrated in the scene where black American stole the car from the American couple and, in addition, the next day, he again stole the car but this time from the other Afro-American. During fights, runaways, and police attacks, they communicate with each other; however, in the end Cameron, a black man whose car was stolen, accused Anthony, the robber, that he is a shame of their race. Furthermore, he is one of those black Americans who embarrass and bring a bad reputation about the black nation to the world (Smith 2006). In the structure of the movie Crash, each troublesome question and theme is followed by a separate speech. There are four speeches in the film which words are exactly tend to capitalize the main themes – Race, Fate, Life, and Class. Nevertheless, all characters of the movie have two sides of personality in them. For instance, a white police officer who is a strict racist still tends to be extremely loyal and brave when it turn to his family, his father exactly. What is more, Cameron, who on his own eyes saw another black American carjacking, now understood what has become the main reason of racism towards his nation (Ebert 2006). The movie shows that no one in this world is innocent and that all troubles, stereotypes, and racism are developed through the process of communication with each other. With the help and through the intercultural communication, Crash presents its viewers a diversity of intercultural problems between the characters. Using stereotypes and people’s prejudices, Paul Haggis in Crash shows theirs influence on other people and their behaviour towards each other. There is one more scene that just has to be mentioned: when a Persian man with his daughter wants to buy a gun in American store. Both daughter and her father started arguing very loudly and a shop-assistant insulted the man by calling him “Osama.” It is one of those scenes where intercultural barriers are mostly described. In the movie Crash,the social opinion about the way one looks, the race one belongs to, the actions one did in the past are more important than the individual’s personality. The intercultural differences that include all these stereotypes, prejudices or race discriminations are the things which form the intercultural barriers between nations and have a bad influence not only on the characters in the movie, but also on the whole society nowadays. By refusing to give a chance to one another, people are themselves forming all prejudices and determined opinions (Buckler 2008).
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This world is not a perfect one, and that is why a lot of intercultural barriers exist there. It is very unlikely that one day people will begin to respect each other without any barriers due to their race or social status. In the movie Crash, all characters are going through the certain circle, making their mistakes at first, and gaining their redemption only in the end. Some stereotypes and prejudices are even being laughed by in the end of this movie. All in all, Crash is that kind of movie everyone has to see and analyse all the lessons pictured in it.