Movie Analysis By Andrea Hansen

Farhad Iranian Store owner Speaks Persian and some English Has a wife and daughter Main Encounters Owner of Gun Shop Locksmith Insurance Agent Locksmith’s Child

Nervous Uninformed Loving Loyal Careful Impatient Unstable Faithless Irrational Inflexible Honest Closed-minded Volatile Hard-working Distrustful Determined

In the Public: Farhad is an angry, desperate, misunderstood man. He is a minority. He perceives himself as being a good, hardworking American citizen. In Private: Farhad is self-reliant and stubborn. He prides himself on providing for his family. He is the majority.

In the beginning of the movie: Farhad sees himself as a failure. He perceives himself as inferior around others, except his family. He sees himself as if he is looking through the eyes of every bigot. By the end: Farhad sees himself as protected and blessed. He perceives himself as worthy. He sees himself as strong and confident.

Farhad was so worried about protecting his family and the store from people and was full of distrust. This clouded his judgment in the locksmith’s advice to get a new door. He thought he was being cheated. Because of his inability to trust, the store was broken into from the faulty door. Consequently, Farhad pretty much handed the keys to the racially-motivated burglars.

Problems Language Barrier He speaks Persian fluently, but only some English. Misinformation He is given information that he believes is false. Discrimination He is discriminated against and he discriminates.

Influences Farhad is discriminated against. “Yo Osama, play in the Jihad on your own time!” “I’m ignorant. You're liberating my country, and I'm flying seven four sevens into your mud huts and incinerating my friends. Get the f**k out of my store! Addressed to Farhad by Gun Shop Owner

As a result of the problems and influences.. Farhad perceives every race as discriminatory towards him and his family. He believes that he cannot trust anybody and takes it upon himself to right perceived wrongs. He generalizes every thought and action towards him as racist. His perception is altered from its previous form and manifests itself through Farhad’s anger and distrust.

A language barrier was evident in Farhad’s perception process. He spoke Persian in the gun shop, which spurred on the Owner’s racist comments. When the locksmith tried to warn him about his faulty door, he misunderstood. In this picture, ‘ARAB’ is written in Graffiti.. “When did Persian become Arab?”- Farhad’s Wife

Farhad is just an American citizen trying to make a living and provide for his family. This statement is true, but because of racism, he was pushed over the edge; a desperate man. Farhad was discriminated against, and in turn, he was discriminating and resentful. Discrimination played the main character of the movie.

His self-concept changed over a series of events.. He is discriminated against. Making him feel unworthy of American freedoms His skewed perception allows him to not heed the warning that could have prevented the store break-in. He feels he is being cheated and sees himself as a target. His perceived neglect to secure the door allows the insurance company to deny his claim. He perceives himself as a failure, desperate, and a cheated man.

He goes after the man he thinks is responsible for the break-in, and ultimately, the reason he was denied insurance coverage. He does not see himself; he is focused on who was responsible for his misfortunes. He pulls the trigger. He sees himself as a monster and is in disbelief of what he did. He realizes that the girl he thought he shot was miraculously not hurt. He sees himself as blessed and protected by the “angel” he believes to be the little girl. He has faith once again.

Farhad had many encounters with racism. However, the chain of events that occurred and the timing of their occurrence, unraveled him into a man he could not even recognize. Additionally, his inability to communicate and own up to his feelings of resentment allowed racism to consume him. As a result, his identity turned from capable, working man to wronged, desperate man.

In the movie Crash, all of the characters encountered discrimination. Discrimination shaped the characters’ perceptions of themselves, as well as others around them. Self-concept was altered in each person over the course of the movie; some more than others. I realize the dangers of discrimination and what it can create in people. I understand more effectively the impact perceptions have on identity.

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