Crash (1996) ****

I had seen Crash (1996) once before but I believe it was over 20 years ago and I couldn't remember it that well (a funny thought given the subject matter). Now that Arrow Video has released an excellent limited edition 4K UHD, which I picked up, I've finally been able to revisit David Cronenberg's subversive psychosexual thriller in a beautiful presentation which includes exhaustive extras.

At its core, Crash really is just sex and car crashes. But given that it's a Cronenberg film, there is of course a lot going on underneath the erotic surface. What the film is concerned with is exploring how its already damaged characters' lives are changed when they discover the sexual awakening and vulnerability that car crashes bring out in them. To quote Cronenberg, his film “avoids emotional response cliches.” This is a perfect way to describe Crash, emotionally and intellectually. It challenges the viewer to confront the feelings instilled by the film and never panders to the audience to invoke emotions—that's the sign of a true artist, in my opinion. I should add that all directors and films are manipulative to some extent so it's not so much that I am against that aspect; I just don't think that an overt moral stance would work with a story like Crash.

Crash (1996) caused much controversy (even being banned in some places), much like the 1973 novel by J.G. Ballard on which it is based. I have yet to read any Ballard but I did see Ben Wheatley's High-Rise (2015) (my review here), another adaptation of the author’s work, just a couple of months ago. Some (re: Francis Ford Coppola) may find the moral ambiguity disturbing and yet the violence in the film comes only from the car crashes themselves; everything on screen is consensual. Not to mention that Crash isn't all that explicit by today's standards. I actually find the absurdity of the way Crash is presented to be quite humorous at times, despite the cold, clinical tone and the glacial performances of leads James Spader and Deborah Kara Unger (unlike Elias Koteas, who is intense, as he often is in his roles).

Along with the fearless performances, Peter Suschitzky's sensual cinematography and Howard Shore’s moody, guitar-based score perfectly compliment Cronenberg's fetishistic film. Almost 25 years on, it's pre-digital feel is refreshing. One of the things I admire most about a film like Crash is its commitment to a singular experience. It's not so much a technological/industrial obsessed science fiction/horror (as many Cronenberg films are, on the surface) as it is (to quote the director again) an existential romance.

You can find my David Cronenberg Feature Films Ranked list here.

You can find my Top 20 Directors list here.