CMN 105: Perspectives on Communication

Film Analysis of Crash

Summary:

The movie depicts several characters and brings them together through car accidents, shootings, and carjackings. Most of the characters depicted in the film are racially prejudiced in some way, and become involved in conflicts which force them to examine their own prejudices.

Cast of Characters:

  • Rick (Brendan Fraser) is the Democraticdistrict attorney of Los Angeles. He and his wife Jean were carjacked, and he spends the movie trying to save his political career by persuading voters into believing that he is racially sensitive.
  • Jean (Sandra Bullock) is Rick's wife, whose racial prejudices escalate after the carjacking.
  • Anthony (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) is a petty crook who sells stolen cars to a corrupt business.
  • Peter (Larenz Tate) is Anthony's partner in crime, who scoffs at Anthony's paranoia.
  • Graham (Don Cheadle) is Peter's brother, and a detective in the Los Angeles Police Department.
  • Flanagan (William Fichtner) is an aide to Rick who talks Graham into accepting a corrupt deal.
  • Ria (Jennifer Esposito) is a Latina detective and Graham's girlfriend.
  • Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon) is a police officer who molests Christine, a black woman, during a traffic stop.
  • Cameron (Terrence Howard) is a television director who becomes distraught after witnessing Officer Ryan molesting his wife.
  • Christine (Thandie Newton) is Cameron's wife. She is molested by Officer Ryan after she and Cameron are pulled over.
  • Officer Hanson (Ryan Phillippe) is Officer Ryan's partner who is disgusted by his partner's racism and the city's inaction.
  • Daniel (Michael Peña) is a Mexican-American locksmith who faces discrimination from Jean and others because he looks like a gang member (has tattoos, shaved head) to them, when he is actually a devoted family man.
  • Farhad (Shaun Toub) is a Persian store owner who is afraid for his safety. He is depicted as a man frustrated by the racist harassment he experiences in the United States.

Source: (Wikipedia, 2004)

CMN 105: Perspectives on Communication

Film Analysis of Crash

Identify threecommunication concepts from Chapter 3 (Perception of Self and Others) and analyze the film Crash. Provide a clear definition of the concept and provide thorough examples to support your analysis. This analysis will be completed as a small group, therefore all group members will have equal input and strive for synergy.

Concepts from Chapter 3:

 Stereotypes  Self-Concept  Self-Serving Bias  Perceptual Set  Scripts

 Attribution  Self-Esteem  Fundamental Attribution Error Selective Memory Bias

Notes: