Movement Is Life: Dance, Identity, and Displacement in I’m No Longer Here by Fernando Frías de la Parra

Abstract

Movement has been a sign of life since the beginning of time, as demonstrated in the film I’m No Longer Here, by Fernando Frías de la Parra. This movie is about a young man named Ulises, his life in Mexico and in the United States, and as a member of a group called Los Terkos, who listen to music in the style of slowed-down cumbia, and participate in this culture through their clothing, language, hairstyle, and dance. Throughout Ulises’ physical and emotional journey, dance is the key aspect of his identity that helps him stay connected to his culture. In “The Wrong of Displacement: The Home as Extended Mind,” Cara Nine states that “place attachment can provide an anchor in life and offer important benefits when we remain in those places to which we are attached. When these bonds are broken, the disruption generally brings about the fragmentation of routines, of relationships, and of expectations, and it upsets a sense of continuity that is ordinarily taken for granted” (240). With this in mind, how does I’m No Longer Here represent movement as a sign of continuity in a fragmented life? In this presentation, I will argue that this film proposes that physical and emotional movement is life because it allows us to connect with our culture and with others, gives us comfort in difficult moments, helps us discover who we are, and allows us to express ourselves.