Examining the Portrayal of Chinese Characters in Malaysian Contemporary Films Using Textual Analysis: Two Case Studies
This research has undertaken a qualitative research using textual analysis to uncover text from the two selected films, i.e. “29 Februari†and “Ola Bolaâ€. A seven-stage textual analysis analytical framework that was adapted from a generic analytical framework for critical discourse analysis (CDA) by Mullet (2018) was developed to analyse the two selected films. Focus was given on the language used on-screen by Chinese characters and also the roles they were assigned to in the plots. Through this research, it was clear that both films approached Malaysia’s multiracialism by putting the spotlight on Chinese characters. The visibility of Chinese characters in both films, to a certain extent, do remind the audience that Malaysia is a nation with diverse racial background and the Chinese community, as the second largest ethnic group in the country, has its role to play in nation building.