This course compares recent trends in Mexican cinema that focus on rise of unwieldy and oppressive urban environments or “megacities” with the prolific and long standing genre of border cinema. We examine the way cinema has attempted to cultivate fantasies of harmonious and affluent places with utopian resonance that lie just beyond but within the possible reach of the spectator. We explore how recent Mexican cinema attempts to combat, alter, or eliminate these cinematically constructed fantasies. Required Screenings include: Cronos (Guillermo del Toro 1993), Battle in Heaven(Carlos Reygadas 2005), The Other Side (Gustavo Loza 2004), The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (Tommy Lee Jones 2005), Duck Season(Fernando Eimbcke 2004), Without Name (Cary Fukunaga 2009), Sleep Dealer (Alex Rivera, 2008), and Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón 2006). This course is taught in English and all films will be subtitled. All class lectures, discussions, and required work, readings, and screenings will be in English or presented with English subtitles and translations. Students who desire Spanish credit for the course may register for SPAN 287. These students will complete all their written assignments in Spanish and prepare a final oral exam in Spanish in addition to participating in the regular lectures and class discussion.