While many people wondered why Brokeback Mountain lost to Crash in the Oscar for Best Film, I had no reservation to crown Crash as the best film in 2005, instead of Brokeback Mountain. I first watched the film in the US the first day it was released, and I was very impressed by the story, the screenplay, and the production. I was wondering when the film would be released in Hong Kong so that I can write something about it. I was reminded about the film when it was neck in neck with Brokeback Mountain in the race for the Best Film in Oscar, and I wondered why the film was still not released in Hong Kong. Finally, it is time, and I watched the film a second time. I am even more impressed after the second screening.

The film, as everybody knows, is about racial discrimination. It does not affect everybody on a daily basis, but we do know that racism does exist. We in Hong Kong does not have to face it all the time, but in some other places, like in Los Angeles, some people have to face it more often. Sometimes racism takes the form of reverse-discrimination, where people favor people from another race instead of their own (usually happening in East Asia), and this is no better than discrimination. Anyway, when it comes into play, it is not something easy to bear. Crash has such a strong message to condemn racial discrimination. One tag line of the film is "You think you know who you are. You have no idea." This theme is especially strong towards the end of the film. Maybe it is the situation. Maybe it is prejudice. Maybe it is insecurity. Some people have to practice racism to a certain extend unwillingly or unintentionally to protect themselves. Who can we blame?

That is some of the things that I thought about after watching the film, each of the two times. Maybe you have some other feelings about the film?