Title: Cinema from the Border, Cinema as Border: Creation, Subversion, and Deconstruction of Latino Stereotypes in Border Crossing Films( file size: 240k )
Author: Dabrowski, M. T.
Medium Type: Project
Keyword(s): U.S./Mexico Border, Border Studies, Latino Sterotypes, Latino Film, Film Stereotypes Supervisor(s): Dr. Mike Guismondi Abstract: A trajectory of movies dealing with the border migrations on the
U.S./Mexico frontier starting with El Norte in 1983, with a focus on the last
decade is examined in relation to how it reinforces or subverts existing
Latino stereotypes. The dialectic between cinema and North American
society’s treatment of Latinos is explored through the use or undermining
of their images on the screen. The staging of the border crossing, border
police, and Latino gender roles is examined in select movies as it is utilized
to challenge expected norms. Emphasis is placed on La misma luna and
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada as both these films provide
extensive subversive elements which showcase how film can be used to
alter our stereotypical notions of immigrants who have been marginalized.
We explore the ways in which film embraces the world that it originates
from, shaping and challenging the social and cultural mosaic emerging in
the U.S./Mexico border region where Latino presence is on the upswing. |