Re-imaging the Mexico/U.S. Border

Abstract

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.