Re-imaging the Mexico/U.S. Border

Event Description Presentation was given using PowerPoint with integrated video clips to contrast the treatment of the border crossing experience between various movies. Feedback • The use of technology to present multiple clips side by side for comparison and contrast was complimented by many of the attendees at it facilitated the visualization for those who were not intimately familiar with the movies. This also provided a visual substance to the argument presented in the presentation. • One of the members of the audience argued that on some fundamental level this child protagonist really does not differ from the young adult protagonists in the other movies. This criticism forced me to make additional effort to underscore the differences as they are not as evident as I had thought. This will make the overall argument being presented stronger, but was problematic to support the claims in the time given. • A question was raised about the director's perspective on this interpretation of the film. This raised the possibility of interacting with the director to compare the intent with the resultant film. I will attempt to pursue this as it seems like a logical extension of the work particularly since the movie appears to break with traditional presentation of the border crossing. • A suggestion was made to compare more border movies to see if this is a universal approach to child protagonists across the genre. • A few individuals suggested that I look at the border experiences across different cultures. • A very interesting point was brought up regarding the consequences of a positive image of the border crossing being shown on a wide scale on both sides of the border due to the risk of presenting the border crossing as a relatively easy feat for those trying to cross illegally to the United States. At the same time, for the American citizen, this makes it appear as there is no real hardship and issue and thus this does not need to be addressed on humanitarian grounds within the country. The comment raises some valid concerns about how idealized and positive images may skew public perception of a profoundly serious problem. Implications This is a topic that I am very much interested in getting published and organizing future conference sessions specifically on the issues surrounding border life.There has been an ongoing literary and cinematographic presence of the Mexico/U.S. border as an antagonist. In the 2007 movie, La misma luna, the director Patricia Riggens breaks with the commonly accepted vision of the border and border crossing by focusing the drama through the eyes of a young and optimistic protagonist. This breach with the stereotypical presentations of the border crossing experience is an attempt to deconstruct both the physical border and the pessimistic view of the border experience. This paper will analyze how the director manages to stage this optimistic vision without compromising the often tragic experience of many illegal immigrants to the U.S and how this contrasts with other movies that treat the same subject matter