Crash Directed by Paul Haggis
Preparing for the Film
1. Although discrimination is illegal and punishable by law in spheres such as education,
politics, and business, why is it so difficult to eradicate prejudice from our lives?
2. How does racial and ethnic stereotyping hurt everyone involved?
3. When older siblings have their own homes, lives, and professions, what responsibility
should they have for a younger sibling who is making poor life decisions and even
committing felonies?
Reflecting on the Film
1. Our first impression of every character changes as the film progresses. Describe how you
see each of these characters initially and then in later key scenes and by the end of the
film:
Anthony, the car thief
Peter, Graham's brother and Anthony's accomplice
Officer Ryan
Jean, the district attorney's wife
Cameron, the television director
Graham, the detective
Tommy, the rookie cop
2. In addition to the audience's altered impression of the characters, how do the characters'
impressions of each other change as the film progresses?
3. Identify the social conditions that put pressure on well-intentioned individuals like
Graham (the detective), Tommy (the rookie cop), and Cameron (the TV director).
4. What insights about stereotyping does the film ultimately offer the viewer?
Writing about the Film
1. Write a paper contrasting your initial impressions of several main characters with your
perceptions of them by the end of the film. Use specific details to illustrate your points.
2. In the opening of the film, the detective, Graham, claims that people in the city miss a
sense of touch so much that "we crash into each other just so we can feel something."
Write an essay evaluating this statement as a reflection of the film and include specific
scenes to support your views.
3. Write an essay that analyzes how racism and cultural stereotypes function as an insidious
force in this film. Include specific scenes and quotations to illustrate all claims.
4. After Cameron, the television director, returns Anthony's gun to him and doesn't turn him
over to the police, Cameron tells the young car thief, "You embarrass me; you embarrass
yourself." Write an essay showing how this line might be delivered by a family member
