"Why do you keep everybody a certain distance, huh? What, you start to feel something and panic?"
In one of the film’s most emotional scenes, Ria comments on Waters’s distant behavior. As the story unfolds, we find that Ria’s observation is true—Graham covers up his insecurities by denying his family situation and making numerous racially insensitive comments. Though Graham sees his steadfastness as a sign of strength, this composure is ultimately a facade. We learn that sometimes, it takes more strength to be vulnerable and express emotions than it takes to repress important feelings.
"Look at me. You embarrass me. You embarrass yourself."
Cameron says this to Anthony after Anthony has tried to steal his car from him and they have had a serious altercation with the police. Cameron has reflected upon his previous passivity and idleness, and he can no longer take being pushed around. He urges Anthony to change his behavior in an effort to stop perpetuating violence and hatred. After Cameron's advice, Anthony takes a turn for the better. Anthony's change in character is most clearly demonstrated when he frees the victims of human trafficking.
"She had these little stubby wings, like she could've glued them on, you know, like I'm gonna believe she's a fairy. So she said, "I'll prove it." So she reaches into her backpack and she pulls out this invisible cloak and she ties it around my neck. And she tells me that it's impenetrable. You know what impenetrable means? It means nothing can go through it. No bullets, nothing. She told me that if I wore it, nothing would hurt me. So I did. And my whole life, I never got shot, stabbed, nothing. I mean, how weird is that?"
Daniel tells this story to his daughter so that she will begin to feel safe and protected in her new neighborhood. Previously, she had been scared after hearing a gunshot, and her fear demonstrates the how even just the threat of violence impacts the most innocent members of society. As a father, Daniel is protecting his daughter from the cruel realities of the outside world. However, his desire to preserve Lara’s innocence draws attention to Daniel’s own optimism and naiveté. Daniel is able to understand the impact and effectiveness of his fatherhood when Lara leaps into his arms to save him from Farhad’s gunshot. In this way, the invisible impenetrable cloak represents familial strength and the power of believing in magic.
"You weren't afraid that all your good friends at the studio were gonna read about you in the morning and realize he's actually black?"
Christine is talking about how, as a black man in the entertainment industry, Cameron's career is particularly fragile. She attributes Cameron's passivity during her attack as an effort to preserve his successful work life. In this way, Christine argues that Cameron's profession is more important to him than his marriage. Christine also addresses that as a light-skinned black male, her husband can pass as white. However, Christine urges him to remember his race and the history of injustices against black men in America. Though Christine is frustrated, she fails to understand that Cameron is aggravated and ashamed of himself.
"It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something."
The narrated quote is the first thing we hear in the film. It is extremely significant, as it establishes the tone for the remainder of the film. In this moment, the viewer is first introduced to the theme of “crashing” and its significance throughout the film. Waters comments that vehicles separate individuals from one another, and that individuals lives their lives selfishly, and with a myopic perspective. Though literal car crashes remain both a visual motif and a guiding action that paces the plot, the viewer comes to understand that “crashing” manifests in various symbolic ways.
"I am angry all the time... and I don't know why."
Anger is ubiquitous in Crash—it is depicted not only as a reaction, but as a motivating action for many of the character’s choices. Instead of acting upon their emotional impulses in a rational or healthy way, many of the film’s characters instead displace their anger onto other vulnerable members of society. Jean Cabot is the first character in the film that actually reflects upon her emotional health and recognizes how her anger affects those around her. She realizes that Maria, her housekeeper, is merely the scapegoat for her own underlying anger. Later, Jean apologizes to Maria and calls her her "only true friend."
"Oh, I already know who killed him. You did. I asked you to find your brother, but you were too busy for us. We weren't much good to you anymore, were we? You got things to do. You go ahead. I'll sign the papers."
Throughout the film, we witness many circumstances in which characters must make difficult, life-altering decisions. In this quote, we become further aware of the theme of action versus inaction. We learn that in many circumstances, inaction can have just as extreme consequences as radical action. When Waters’s mother collapses in the morgue, we understand that Detective Waters’s inaction ultimately led to her other son’s death. Instead of using his privilege to aid his vulnerable family, Waters covered up his personal history in order to selfishly advance his character. Following his mother's expression of disappointment, Waters feels ashamed.
"Wait 'till you've been on the job a few more years. Look at me [...] Look at me. Wait 'till you've been doing it a little longer."
Officer Ryan foreshadows that Officer Hansen's optimism is actually naiveté. He explains that after more time on the job, Officer Hansen will begin to internalize the racist practices that he tries so hard to reject. This premonition becomes true when Hansen shoots his non-threatening passenger, Peter.
"Yo, Osama, plan a jihad on your own time. What do you want?"
In post-9/11 Los Angeles, Farhad is targeted with numerous Islamaphobic remarks. After Farhad’s store is robbed and destroyed, his wife scrubs the word "Arab" which has been spraypainted on his walls. Farhad internalizes this prejudice and displaces his feelings onto other minorities. Most notably, he aims to avenge Daniel, and stalks the locksmith at his house. This quote provides a contextual analysis for post-9/11 society. Even citizens that inhabit supposedly "progressive" metropolitan cities continue to have racist attitudes and belittle minorities.
"I just had a gun pointed in my face! […] and it was my fault because I knew it was gonna happen. But if a white person sees two Black men walking towards her and she turns and walks in the other direction, she's a racist, right? Well I got scared and I didn't say anything and ten seconds later I had a gun in my face. Now I am telling you, your amigo in there is gonna sell our key to one of his homies and this time it'd be really fucking great if you acted like you actually gave a shit!
Though Jean is honest about her emotions, her comment exemplifies her inability to break from her privileged mindset. The issue that is at the root of Jean's commentary is that white people assume black criminality. It is because of the cultural presupposition that young black men are "suspicious" and "threatening" that white people, as Jean suggests, often cross the street in order to merely avoid the threat of interacting with black people. Jean fails to understand her own culpability, and instead she blames Anthony and Peter entirely. These actions later continue in Jean's treatment of her housekeeper, Maria, and the locksmith, Daniel.
