Communal Ruination and Collaborative Survival: The Third Nature of Urban Heat Islands in Do the Right Thing and In the Heights.

This article examines the representation of urban heat islands in the films "Do the Right Thing" and "In the Heights" from an ecocritical perspective. It argues that the heat wave in these films serves as a metaphor for rising racial tensions and as a material manifestation of anthropogenic climate change. The article also explores how these films navigate time and space, emphasizing the importance of community and mutual aid in the face of gentrification and thermal inequity. It draws on the concept of collaborative survival and contaminated diversity to analyze the films' depiction of communal ruination amidst capitalist ruins. The article aims to highlight the ecological and social implications of urban heat islands and the need for a more inclusive and diverse environmental imagination. [Extracted from the article]