Crash Produced by Paul Haggis - Movie Review Example

? Movie Review (psychology) Crash (2004 film) Introduction Summary of main plot/characters/psy principles of the movie The2004 film produced by Paul Haggis is about the racial and social tensions that affect Los Angeles, California. Main characters include ‘Jean Cabot’ (Sandra Bullock), Officer ‘John Ryan’ (Matt Dillon), ‘Christine Thayer’ (Thandie Newton), ‘Det. Graham Waters’ (Don Cheadle) and ‘Cameron Thayer’ (Terrence Howard). In Los Angeles, individuals’ lives interlink since the town has different races living therein. The plot of the movie rotates around everyday life experiences and in particular racism and social unfairness. Those who act in the film perform exceptionally and they show how human beings become affected psychologically leading them to act in accordance with the situation (Haggis, 2005). A handful of those who play a part in the film consist of Caucasian district attorney, his Caucasian wife, two Caucasian police constables, a black film director, his black wife, two police detectives, an East Asian man, a Persian store owner and a Hispanic locksmith. Psychology deals with the study of human behavior and psychological roles. This scientific study is incorporated in the everyday lives of individuals. Through books, films and articles, people are able to learn how psychology reaches its ultimate purpose; to use specific cases and principles to ultimately aid in understanding individuals. The film teaches certain principles that can be related to the daily life of people. From the film, issues like group thinking, modern racism, conformity, cognitive dissonance, individualization and the influence of legal system are addressed, and these are key factors when addressing the topic of psychology (Baron, & Branscombe, 2012). 1. Conformity, social influence and group thinking Scene description; in this scene, two black men, also criminals, are in a car and they are discussing issues involving racism and music. While still discussing their issues, they run over a body, which they later come to describe as “Chinaman’. They roughly pull him from under their car and continue on. All the men manipulate one another in the decisions they make. They are always together and act collectively as a group (Haggis, 2005). In this scene, they discuss race and country music together and discuss what they are to do with the body that they accidentally stepped on. Both rely on each other to make decisions that will both affect them. Conformity is the tendency to act or think alike in a group, and this can be seen in this scene. It is groups’ nature to show similarity and accountability. Their culture involves influencing individuals outside their culture. Group thinking leads to results that both parties will regret in the long run (Baron & Branscombe, 2012). 2. Self-concept Scene description; in this scene a stolen vehicle is brought in and there are several immigrants from Cambodia and they are held in for questioning. Acting as a helper and also to improve his image to the public, he offers to pay bail for each of them to be released (Haggis, 2005). Self-concept comes into play when the Good Samaritan, who goes by the name of Lucian, decides to pay for the release of each of the illegal immigrants. Perhaps it is just his nature to help others, but in this particular scene, his self-concept side shows itself. He wants his identity to be known as the person who helped the illegal immigrants. Doing such a deed improves his self esteem and thus his self worth (Baron, & Branscombe, 2012). 3. Modern racism Scene description; this is the scene where a Persian man and his daughter are buying a handgun and the gun shop owner gets upset with the Persians speaking in their own language and the two men quickly start throwing angry words at each other. The Persian man leaves fuming and his daughter walks away. Contemporary racism is illustrated by the two men who clearly come from different backgrounds and have different origin. Racism is defined as division of humanity into certain groups referred to as races (Haggis, 2005). Differences arise from contrast in one’s views and practices. Being a racist is being somebody who sees those not from his group as inferior and less desirable. In this extract, racial favoritism causes both men to start throwing angry words against one another. It arises from the fact that the Persian man speaks a language unknown to the shopkeeper. This in turn makes the shop owner see it as discriminatory due to the ethnic and cultural difference. The racism in this extract is more of an ethnic discrimination “variety” (Baron, & Branscombe, 2012). 4. Cognitive dissonance Scene description; there is also a scene where a white couple are walking on a sidewalk together and the lady notices two black men and acts in a way that suggests she is scared of them. The black men take offence but do not dwell on that and instead, they carjack the couples’ car (Haggis, 2005). The lady acts inappropriately by clutching his husband’s arm after seeing the black men. She acts as if she has an allergic reaction to the men. Cognitive dissonance is described as the feeling that an individual gets when they are uncomfortable because of certain situations, values or just emotional reactions. These thoughts may make a person act in a way that suggests uncertainty. The lady, Jean, felt anxiety after she noticed the two black men, and since she is of the belief that black people do not amount to any good, she does not hide her reactions (Baron, & Branscombe, 2012). Conclusion Psychology deals with an individual’s perception, attention, sentiment, inspiration, individuality, associations and the functioning of the brain in all these. The film has a lot of teachings which can be applied to the daily lives of individuals and society. There are lessons to be learnt in every scene; why not to follow group mentality, why one should mind their manners especially among other people and also why one should avoid certain circumstances that may lead to a misunderstanding. Racism divides people, and instead of living together as a community, because of racism, people concentrate on thinking how they differ from each other in many ways. Change starts from the mind of individuals, and if all accepted change in a positive way, there would be more harmony and less conflict. References Baron, R. A., & Branscombe, N. R. (2012). Social psychology. Boston: Pearson. Haggis, P. (Producer & Director). (2005). Falling Down and Crash (Motion Picture). United States: A Lions Gate Entertainment company Read More