Crash – 1996 – David Cronenberg

David Cronenberg’s Crash is not to be confused with Paul Haggis Crash from 2004. The former had a great impact on me when it first came out. To say the truth, I was stunned by its boldness and I found it vastly provocative. I was taken with the sexual situations related to car accidents that the main characters. When I re-watched it lately I couldn’t remember most of the plot, and when I was finished watching it I can’t say that I got much of the plot either. I would like to think that there are tons of layers in a David Cronenberg film, and maybe there are, but what sticks out for me is the provocative aspects. People getting sexually aroused by car crashes… well it is a little much to take in and normalize really.

There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since my first encounter with Crash also. My experience of odd and obscure plots has grown larger. I’m not that easily shocked och impressed anymore. At the time this sexual tension was unprecedented but there’s not really that kind of shock value anymore. I still enjoyed it very much though. Partly because of nostalgic reasons of course. It’s hard to ignore such values. But also because, regardless of what I’ve been saying so far, the story is interesting.

The acting is really top notch. If you never liked James Spader, Rosanna Arquette, and Holly Hunter before you really should give this flick a go. Plus, that if you see Crash for the first time, you have the chance to get that feeling I got myself many years ago. The feeling of overwhelming emotions when the one stranger things happen after one another.

I think that Crash is one of David Cronenberg’s lesser know movies too. Everybody knows some of his movies, like Scanners, Videodrome and Naked Lunch. This falls into the category of Fast Company, M Butterfly, and Cosmopolis. They are not as known as A History of Violence or Eastern Promises but still very interesting pieces of art.