Holiday romance films as mediated rituals the case of Single all the way (2021)

Abstract

As media rituals, the temporalities and semiotic strategies of holiday romance films link everyday experiences to broader ideological frameworks. The ontological security these films produce, we suggest, helps audiences navigate sociocultural shifts and challenges to hegemonic ideologies over time. This occurs through the construction of interpretive frameworks that support new interpersonal and societal understandings. However, we contend, the holiday romance genre is open to negotiation only inasmuch as it provides commentary on counter-hegemonic values while also upholding dominant heteronormative, neoliberal ideologies.