Crash

I'd seen this movie once before and possibly given it short shrift. On second viewing this course of thought was hard to understand. The reason being that this is an incredibly powerful tale that deserves all the praise and acclaim it received. It was especially fitting that it should pick up so many awards for best screenplay. The writing in this is tight and heartfelt. There isn't any cheap dialogue or protracted prose clogging up the runtime, just what is necessary to convey the conflicted feelings of the characters on screen. Sometimes a look is enough, such as that between Dillon & Newton on his rescue of her from a car accident. The theme is one of racism and prejudices, the sort we all casually engage in without ever wishing to understand fully the end consequence. There is that element of luck intertwined with the aforementioned themes and how that plays out when chance brings them together. It's a small world after all and every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Other Directors have used the stream of seemingly unrelated incidents to knit a story, most notably and successfully Inarritu in the brilliance of Amores Perros and 21 Grams.
Haggis gets the most out of his cast, most notably Howard & Dillon. The characters manage to portray powerfully the isolation and loneliness that must come from being ostracised as a result of racial prejudice. Ryan Philipe's character seems to be above the prejudice inflicted by his partner because it doesn't sit comfortably with him. Ultimately, however, he falls victim to the preconceived fears and notions we all hold. Are these right? No and Haggis is ultimately preaching a cautionary tale, one that we can all learn from.

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The Big Issues - We'll Get to Them

The government are showing an increasing lack of awareness when it comes to the critical issues facing this country and it's people. To the ire of the majority of the electorate there is an ever widening chasm beginning to emerge between the electorate and those charged with governance. The recent headshop debate is a case in point. Here is a small growing industry selling products which by their definition and make up are classed as legal. These shops therefore contribute both VAT and PAYE to the revenue. Further, they will in many cases be providing employment thus contributing PRSI. Here we are with unemployment at 12.5%, small businesses closing by the day and the government are falling over themselves to close these shops. The juxtaposition here is both striking and worrying. It suggests a government willingly distracted by matters which have no right to the frontpage headlines. All of this isn't to underscore the obvious dangers of some of the products sold in these shops. Scientific research, commissioned by the government could go towards addressing this issue and steer away some of the more hyperbolic comments doing the rounds. A regulated system allowing the operation of head shops should take precedence over a burgeoning illegal drugs trade.
The government should be doing better than pandering to the worries of a few people who are misinformed on the subject at hand. Their time should be spent on getting people back in to employment which is by a long shot the most pressing issue in Ireland today.

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