Asian Motherhood and Intergenerational Trauma

The year is 2022, and three American films–Domee Shi’s Turning Red, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Iris K. Shim’s Umma–are released within the span of one month. All feature Asian American mothers who grapple with intergenerational trauma in some way as it threatens their relationships with their daughters. Inspired by their similarities and contemporaneity, this thesis critically examines these films’ representations of the Asian Mother, as well as paratextual audience engagement with these representations across selected online channels.