Fear is a poison

Crash has stayed with me for a couple of nights now, and I think I've figured out why. It's because the point of the movie is the one at the top of my page: Refuse to be afraid.

Crash is the story of people who alternate being fearful of each other and being angry with each other. But in a series of interlocking events, we see the damage that is done by being afraid and the triumph that is possible when you refuse to be afraid.

It's a brilliant movie.

Maybe it's the lingering winter. March is the dreariest month of the year and also the most full of hope - first days of spring, but the last days of winter. But it's been hard for me to ignore my own advice lately.

I've been afraid.

Uncertainties have been creeping into my life, and instead of embracing them and moving on against the challenges, I've been afraid - afraid of being irrelevant, afraid of being too relevant, afraid of being heard, afraid of being ignored, afraid to do something, afraid of standing still, afraid of dying, afraid of living. I've been every politician's dream - they like us scared, you know. Makes it easier for them to wield the power they crave.

Then Crash comes along to show us how wrong it can get if you yield to your fears, your anger, your hatred.

It's a brilliant movie with a brilliant message: Refuse to be afraid. Be careful, but refuse to be afraid. It's not easy advice to follow, but it's the best advice in the world.

Oh, and one other thing: Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a cracking good movie, too. I'm so glad it won Best Animated Feature. I haven't laughed so hard since, well, since I saw Serenity for the first time. You know, the box office may be depressed, but 2005 brought us some great, great movies.