The search for "self" : cultural identity through representations of parent-child relationships in "Instructions Not Included" (2013) and "Under the Same Moon" (2007)

This thesis analyzes the films Instructions Not Included (2013), a fish-out-of-water comedy drama about a single father from Mexico raising his daughter in the United States, and Under the Same Moon (2007), a melodrama which shows the quest of a young boy trying to arrive in California from Mexico in less than a week so that he can be reunited with his mother. Focusing on the representations of the parent-child relationship in the context of immigration that are presented in these films, this thesis addresses the debate between globalization and nationalism. The thesis analyses the films' representations of globalization, using the theoretical framework of Arjun Appadurai's "scapes" which postulates that there are five flows which enable people, ideas, and finances to cross political and ideological boundaries. Specifically, this thesis analyzes the implications of these representations for transnational communities and the development of cultural identity. Accordingly, this thesis also demonstrates how the representations of the parent-child relationship are effectively used to illuminate several aspects of immigrant and diaspora cultural identity using the theory of cultural identity of Stuart Hall to support this perspective. Finally, this thesis concludes by applying this analysis to demonstrate what role nationalist ideologies and politics play in the fracture of families, and to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of institutional attempts to curb or control forces of globalization based on the representations in the films.