Abstract:

DOUBLES is a documentary that deals with the complex issues of cultural identity encountered by children of both American and Japanese heritage. It traces the lives of several now-adult children from the postwar era who struggled with the problems of finding their place in society as mixed-race individuals and how that struggle led to frustration at the cultural pressure to assume an identity based solely on the color of their skin. Life adopts the term 'doubles,' used by parents of mixed-race children who believe that the usage of 'half' in relation to half-Japanese or half-American does not reflect both cultures as equally important in shaping their identity.