“We’ve Been There, and We Made It Through”: Representations of Family Resilience in Contemporary Malaysian Youth Literature and Film

The mental health of children and adolescents is among the most neglected health issues globally, and Malaysian youth face similar challenges due to stigma and poor mental health literacy. As part of the interventionist strategies to develop resilience and coping skills among at-risk youths, Malaysian youth literature and films that emphasise themes of family resilience can facilitate the discussion of difficult topics ranging from bullying and peer pressure to bereavement and depression. Drawing from family resilience theory and literary trauma studies, this chapter examines depictions of trauma and adversity in two contemporary texts from Malaysia, Julie Padasian’s short story, “Unduk Ngadau” (2019) and Heidi Shamsuddin’s animated film Batik Girl (2019). Through the focus on the theme of parental loss, and how such grief is mitigated through the protagonists’ emotional connection with their grandmothers, the chapter argues that family resilience is crucial to the process of healing and recovery, and is fostered through the role of storytelling and art as forms of shared heritage and family history. As representations of narratives of resilience, both texts reflect the significance of intergenerational family bonds as a powerful resource that is not only protective against the impacts of trauma, but crucial to overcoming it.