Director: David Cronenberg
Writers: J.G. Ballard (novel), David Cronenberg
Stars: James Spader, Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas |See full cast and crew
Crash is a 1996 Canadian-British psychological thriller film written and directed by David Cronenberg based on J. G. Ballard‘s 1973 novel of the same name. It tells the story of a group of people who take sexual pleasure from car accidents, a notable form of paraphilia. The film stars James Spader, Deborah Kara Unger, Elias Koteas, Holly Hunter, and Rosanna Arquette.- wikipedia
As wikipedia has so nicely put it Crash is indeed a psychological thriller and quite an unusual one at that. Exploring paraphilia, in this instance an arousal when experiencing or watching a car accident or by injuries caused by the accidents this film pushes the boundaries of filmmaking. As a viewer it is difficult not to at once dismiss the idea as absurd only to be drawn in and captivated by the sensuality of the film.
James Spader is probably most commonly associated with romantic comedies in the 80’s such as Pretty in Pink and Mannequin, he has utilized his experience at playing the charming romantic to play different and sinister leading men often in a romantic setting which can be seen in Crash, Dream Lover & The Secretary to name a few. I like this aspect of James, he is not afraid to turn a cliché on its head and explore the depths of characters who may be darker, sinister or have different sexual proclivities.
The film is bizarre from start to finish but I have to say that I enjoyed it, as with so many other Cronenberg films once you start watching them you are pulled in by a notion of obscurity then tantalized for the rest of the film.
David’s films are different, he simply has a style like no other that creates an often tense and thrilling atmosphere that can not be ignored. Crash won the special Jury Prize at the 1996 Cannes film festival and six genie awards it also won Best Alternative Adult Feature Film Award at the 1998 Adult Video News Awards.
7 out of 10 a must watch for David’s fans and fans of the obscure.
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