An Eerie Exploration of Obsession: Crash (1996)
A film that also came out in 1996, is ‘Crash’, by David Cronenberg, where James Ballard, the protagonist, portrayed by James Spader, experiences a sexual awakening after being involved in a car accident. Adapted from J.G. Ballard’s daring novel, the movie takes a glimpse into the forbidden world of those who have a weird affection with car crashes and probes rebellion, morbidity, and a fusion of car engineering and human sexuality.
With great mastery, Cronenberg develops themes of alienation, scopophilia, and lust based on the car crash subculture. The tone is deeply tactile, disquieting from time to time, and, in its way, SCL makes us uneasy as it raises questions on norms. ‘Crash’ reveals how technology and sexuality intersect in some strange modes of attachment.
James Spader is solid as the enigmatic James Ballard; he swims in the attention paid to perverted desire like a fish in water. Holly Hunter and Elias Koteas give more dimensions to their parts adding to a cast, which can draw the viewer further into this unholy subject matter. There is strong performances of Deborah Kara Unger and Rosanna Arquette as two sensitive and mysterious protagonists, completing the list of the recognizable cast.
The movie is directed by David Cronenberg who is known for his typical elements of psychological horror and body theme. He steers ‘Crash’ sure-footedly, accepting the viewer’s unease and leveraging this for dramatic effect.
Howard Shore’s music knits the weirdly darkened fabric of the movie together with its threads carrying a creaking unease. It harmonizes with Cronenberg’s vision by supporting the suspense-only and haunting arcs of storytelling that would potentiate the visual narrative without overwhelming it.
Suschitzky’s visions of metallic car crashes and monotonous cities painted in pristine and sterile hues help in capturing the desolate environment of the film. Interestingly, the overall aesthetic made the cold, mechanical connection at the root of the films motifs feel emotionally resonant.
Much like its ideas and motifs, the sets and locations where the plot played out were antiseptic and featureless yet inviting. The contrast of human nature with machinery is given extras care for exploring the viscera of the films gigantic themes.
The special effects, which are not overstated, are aestheticized with bitter specificity to the corporate cruelties and carnal allure of car crashes.
The editing is precise and does not allow the film to shift between eruptions and the tedium that underlines character relationships.
It follows a brooding rhythm. Duality and defiance of the norms is persistent throughout – the movie hooks you slowly, unfolding the creepy plot however it wants to, not caring about the logical tempo of it. It raises questions and elicits attention without giving solutions.
It may be off-putting to some audience because of its subject matters and graphic content despite the movie’s daring themes. As could be expected it provokes and disturbs; it requires a mature and perceptive viewer to grasp its implications.
Even if ‘Crash’ can be described as an outstanding work of film making it has aims that, perhaps for that reason, are unpredictable and that render it as shocking as it is watchable. Its ending compels one to contemplate the conflicts of lust and the norms which the picture frankly violates. A rather shocking yet stimulating one, which sums up my experience of watching Cronenberg’s work as a master of the perverted story and viewership.
