La felicidad como ideología. Análisis comparado de En busca de la felicidad y Soul

This article aims to comparatively analyze how the concept of happiness is represented in the films The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) and Soul (2020), based on the theoretical model by Cabanas and Illouz (2019), which frames happiness as an ideological construct aligned with neoliberal personality traits. The study focuses on three aspects: (1) character representation of the protagonists; (2) symbolic depictions of happiness within narrative spaces; and (3) the construction of subjectivities under consumer capitalism. The methodology employs Grueso’s (2020) semiotic model of film analysis and Atlas.ti software to code expressions of emotional self-management, authenticity, and personal growth. The findings reveal that both films reinforce an individualistic and meritocratic view of happiness, although Soul introduces a critique of insatiability at its conclusion. The analysis concludes that these cinematic narratives legitimize a neoliberal model of well-being while silencing collective or structural dimensions of success.