Homelessness as Portrayed in American Girl Movie (2021)

Moningka, Yesa Yulina and Saragih, Mike Wijaya (2024) Homelessness as Portrayed in American Girl Movie (2021). In: Literary And Cultural Criticism In The Age Of Post -Theory. Universitas Sanata Dharma, Yogyakarta, pp. 202-207. ISBN 2963-3532

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Abstract

American Girl (2021) is a semi-autobiographical film directed by Feng I Fiona, telling a story about an American girl moving from Los Angeles to Taipei with her family due to her mother's breast cancer treatment. This film demonstrates that Fen as the main character does not feel the atmosphere of home in Taipei, but feels more connected to the American values she grew up with. The study aims to show the portrayal of homelessness highlighting her sense of disconnection and rootlessness in her new home country, Taipei. Using a qualitative descriptive method, the portrayal of homelessness will be analyzed using Somerville’s homelessness theory combined with cinematography elements. The result of the study shows there are three key signifiers of homelessness experienced by Fen which are: lack of hearth, heartlessness, and lack of privacy. The three key signifiers of homelessness are caused by her different perspectives of Taiwanese and American values. Fen considers that Taiwanese values are inferior to American ones. Being different from her community makes her feel disconnected from her social life. Keywords: : home; homelessness; disconnected; American values

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