"Better Luck Tomorrow" and "Crash"

I have one main problem with both "Better Luck Tomorrow" and "Crash," which is that they both go to extremes. They use extreme violence, extreme language, and extreme situations ostensibly in the service of examining and deconstructing stereotypes. In BLT, the thriller/action/comedy stylings of the film help relate it to its target audience, young men, and as such expose certain viewers to ideas they may not have previously considered; however, although this extremism can be effective with certain audiences, but I think it alienates more viewers than it speaks to; I'm thinking in particular of the scene in BLT where the main characters kill Steve. To me, the visceral reaction produced by the characters' rejection of redemption (when they discover Steve is still alive after the beating) in favor of a violent "solution" to their problem overshadows the critique that is going on in that scene. Divorcing myself from the graphic nature of the scene, I can tease out the idea that social pressure and stereotyping has contributed to the characters' sense of invincibility, but that it has also in some way motivated their violence; they hate Steve because he's fulfilling the ideal they've bought into even better than they are. He's rich, he's popular, and he possesses what is constructed in dominant discourses as the ultimate achievement for people of color: a white girlfriend. Ben in particular wants to take out his anger on Steve because he can't have what Steve takes for granted (Stephanie's affection). While I find the violence of this film deeply disturbing, and there are a multitude of problematics relating to the portrayal of women and sexuality, this film does have something valuable to say, if audiences can see past the extreme situations. I personally believe that the idea of Justin Lin, an Asian American director who can make films with Asian American actors that talk about the Asian American experience, will prove to be more influential than the particular content of his films. I really hope that soon we will see more films created by and about people of color that can discuss race and racism in a more subtle and nuanced manner without being relegated to obscurity. For that matter, I would also like to see more attempts at the socially conscious action movie; I think Justin Lin has the right kind of ideas in play, but lacks essential critiques on gender and sexuality stereotyping, as well as falling into a mode of privileging the visual elements over the underlying themes.

"Crash," on the other hand, represents to me the shallowest kind of discussion of racial tensions. It employs the politically correct, oft-used idea that, to quote a popular musical, "everyone's a little bit racist." It has potential in that it shows the differences in power between the characters, but I feel it stops short of examining the logical conclusion: although all the characters have certain failings and prejudices, the white police and homeowners can go home at the end of the day with their careers and families mostly intact, while the people of color cannot divorce themselves from racism and "race issues." I find the juxtaposition of the scenes in which Matt Dillon's character assaults Thandie Newton's and the scenes in which he cares for his ailing father most disturbing, as though his personal struggles somehow justify his racist, misogynist behavior. This story comes to a deeply troubling end when he rescues the woman he previously assaulted from a car crash. She learns to trust those who have previously abused her; what does he learn? What about the privileging of the "Americanized," accentless daughter of the Iranian shopkeeper, who is more temperate and understanding than her one-track-mind immigrant father? There's also the complete lack of Asian American agency; Asian Americans are either nameless, cruel human traffickers or nameless, helpless victims. Certainly, there is a climatic "crash" in which all of the characters are forced to confront their prejudices and learn from one another, but there are still winners and losers: the young, idealistic white police officer may be shocked and appalled by his own actions, but the young black man is dead, simply for having been a particular race and gender in a particular setting.

While "Better Luck Tomorrow" may lack nuance, "Crash," to me, lacks any kind of substantive exploration of race issues because it tries to do way too much in one film, and thus explores none of the issues in the depth required to produce something that is thought-provoking, rather than heavy-handed and didactic. Thus it becomes that phrase I railed against so much in my comments on Trinh, "universalized." When I watch this film, I feel like I am being lectured to about racism, rather than provoked to consider my own subjectivity. The next question then, is who is lecturing me? Paul Haggis, a prominent mainstream director, and popular Hollywood actors and producers. It may be cynical, but to me this film seems like an excuse for mainstream cinema to pat itself on the back for talking about race issues without actually having to think too critically about its own role in reflecting and reinforcing stereotypes. "Crash" is both too extreme (racism is rarely as blatant as the film depicts, especially in a "liberal" bastion like L.A.) and too convenient in the way its plots intersect and are resolved, and the more times I view it, the more disappointed I become.