Abstract
In 2018, Daniel Sawka directed independent feature length movie Icebox, which narrates the story of a 12-year old Honduran boy whose parents push him to migrate northbound in order to escape forced gang recruitment. Without giving way to ideological bias, Sawka reproduces his journey, providing a useful tool for raising awareness on some of the key matters related to the ongoing debate on US immigration and border policies. The operation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities and the detention of Central American children at the US- Mexico border represent a transnational gray area in the extension of sovereign power, turning the border itself in a kenotic space of exception legitimated by the construction of a specific public discourse on immigration and national boundaries. Furthermore, the movie describes the existence of the evident normalization of inhumanity intrinsic to the detention process and praxis, leading to dehumanization of detainees and a suspension—both individual and public—of questioning the tasks performed by border enforcement agencies from an ethical or moral perspective.
Highlights
I n 2018, Daniel Sawka directed independent feature length movie Icebox, which narrates the story of a 12-year old Honduran boy whose parents push him to migrate northbound in order to escape forced gang recruitment
Anna Marta Marini is a PhD fellow at the Instituto Franklin–UAH. She obtained her BA and MA in Linguistic and Cultural Mediation specializing in Anglo American Cultures and Mexican Studies, and a 2nd level postgraduate master’s in Public History
Her dissertation work explores the film representation of reciprocate otherness bridging the US–Mexico boundary. Her main research interests are: discursive and cultural representation of the US borderlands and Mexican American communities; CDA related to violence and discrimination; identity re/construction and narration through cinema and comics, especially in gothic, horror, andwestern genres
Summary
I n 2018, Daniel Sawka directed independent feature length movie Icebox, which narrates the story of a 12-year old Honduran boy whose parents push him to migrate northbound in order to escape forced gang recruitment. The movie represents a timely narrative and a useful tool for analysis on some of the key matters related to the ongoing debate on US immigration and border policies.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have