Bend it like Beckham Movie Analysis Essa PDF

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Bend it like Beckham Movie Analysis Essay The film, Bend it like Beckham, follows two eighteen year old girls that dream of becoming professional soccer players. The movie not only focuses on soccer but also on the role gender plays in the lives of the characters, how cultural differences impact each person throughout the film, and how race is still an important issue within each society. Jess Bhamra lives in West London with her traditional Punjabi Sikh Indian family and dreams of playing soccer professionally but her mother does not allow her from playing it because she is a girl. Although her parents don’t allow her to play soccer, she sneakingly does so in the park with her friend Tony, who is a closeted gay, and his friends. One day while playing out in the park, she is spotted by a girl named Jules who invites her to join the local club team. Jules comes from an English family and plays on a club girls’ soccer team. Like Jess, Jules’ mother does not like the idea of her daughter playing a sport and wants her daughter to be more feminine. Upon being asked to try out for the team, Jess is overjoyed but her parents do not find the idea of their daughter playing soccer to be pleasant especially if she has to show her legs in public. The coach of the girls’ soccer team is a bit skeptical about a new girl joining the team but soon realizes that Jess is talented. Even though playing soccer goes against her family traditions, Jess is determined to play on the team even if she has to do it behind her parents’ backs. Her situation worsens when she must choose between attending her sister’s’ wedding or going to the final soccer match where she will get the chance of being seen by a college scout. Jess’ parents find out that she has been playing behind their backs and forbid her from going back to the team. At her sister Pinky’s’ wedding, Jess’ convinces her father to let her go to the game to play and he eventually gives in. When she arrives, her team is tied and she makes a free kick that allows for them to win the game. After the match, Jess and Jules are offered a full ride scholarship to play soccer at Santa Clara University. Because Jess is reluctant to tell her parents about the scholarship, her friend Tony, decides to lie to them and tell them that he is engaged to Jess as long as she is able to go to any college she pleases and play soccer. But in the end, Jess builds up the courage to tell her family the truth and her family accepts her wishes and allows her to go abroad to play soccer. Indian culture has many rules and expectations that can be hard to achieve. Culture plays a major role in the lives of the Bhamra and Paxton families. Culture can be defined as “a way of life created by humans” (Conley,81). The Bhamra family live in West London in a neighborhood called Hounslow that is known for being a community filled with Indian culture. Although Jess’ parents moved to England many years ago, they have never fully integrated and choose to stick to their religion and traditions in hopes of preserving their culture. Besides Jess’ soccer team, both sisters do not appear to have any friends outside their own cultural circle. This may be due to the fear that the Bhamra parents have that Western culture might negatively influence their daughter’s behaviors and lives, possibly ruining their chances of growing up to be modest young women. For example, Pinky must have a traditional Indian wedding with an Indian husband. Mrs. Bhamra constantly is seen nagging her youngest daughter Jess about finding a husband, “I was married at your age! You don’t even want to learn to cook dhal!” ( Bend it like Beckham) Indian women used to

get married at a very young age just like most cultures did in the past, but in modern society women are waiting until they are a bit older to settle down and get married. Indian women must be conservative and modest while showing little skin (Indian Culture). According to Mrs. Bhamra, “she shouldn’t be running around with all these men showing her bare legs to 70,000 people! She’s bringing shame on the family.” Jess’ mother believes in maintaining a good reputation and the Indian culture doesn’t view highly of women who play sports. Most Indian girls aren’t allowed to play soccer because it goes against many of their traditions, like their uniform shows a lot of bare skin, “I nearly scored from 25 yards today. I could have carried on playing all night. It’s not fair that boys never have to come home and help. If I get an arranged marriage, would I get someone who’d let me play football whenever I wanted? (Bend it like Beckham)” This goes to show that Indian girls are supposed to be lady-like and not be wasting their times running around with a ball. Boys, on the other hand, get more freedom to do whatever they wanted and can dress however they want to, but girls have more rules and restrictions placed on them. Jess’ family hopes that she will leave her dream of becoming a soccer player and follow in her sister’s’ path in learning how to be a good Sikh woman and eventually finding a good Sikh Indian man to marry. In the Sikh culture and religion, when someone is to be married, they are joining their two families instead of just individuals (Sikh Weddings). The Paxton’s are a traditional English family however they do share some common ground with the Bhamra family. Both Mrs. Paxton and Mrs. Bhamra share a similar view on how their daughters should behave and be spending less time playing sports and more time trying to find a husband. The film also address the issue of homosexuality through the character Tony. Tony is one of Jess’ best friends but has a secret. Tony reveals that he is gay, which in response to this Jess says, “but, you’re Indian!” According to the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, “Prejudice against different lifestyles is part of many cultures, incorporated into most religions, and is a source of conflict in Indian society” (Psychiatry). The Sikh culture believes in five vices and lust is one of them. Most Sikhs view homosexuality as proof of lust ( Sikh Religion). Tony feels that he is unable to open up to his parents or members of his community in fear of being shamed or punished. Western culture is more widely accepting towards controversial issues yet people are still quick to make assumptions as reflected by Jules’ mother who thought that she and Jess had a romantic relationship going on because they always hung around one another and played soccer. Society has placed certain ideals on appropriate behavior in regards to gender roles. In the film, gender roles play an important part in the lives of the characters. Society’s expectations and rules are very different for men and women. Gender roles are defined as “the culturally defined behaviors deemed appropriate for a man or a woman” (Gender Roles). Because of such roles, one learns what is deemed as masculine or feminine behavior. Indian women are supposed to be good cooks and housewives. Mrs. Bhamra exemplifies the optimal Indian woman because is she always shown throughout the film preparing food and serving others. Pinky, Jess’ sister, is also a good example of the ideal Sikh woman because she is very feminine and believes in maintaining the traditional Sikh ideology. Jess is much different than her mother and sister, she has no interest in learning how to cook or being “feminine,” all she cares about is soccer and nothing more. Her behavior is deviant because she is acting outside of the normal gender roles and ruining her chances of being integrated into the Indian community. When Jess’ mother finds out that

she has joined a girls’ soccer team, she is outraged because soccer is seen as a male sport and that should not change. Mrs. Bhamra mentions that, “What family will want a daughter-in-law who can run around kicking a ball all day but cannot make an Indian dish” (Bend it like Beckham)? She believes that the role of women is to stay home, cook, and to look after the kids and does not think that her daughter’s dreams are appropriate. Margaret Andersen notes that, “the cultural basis of gender is apparent especially when we look at different cultural contexts” (The Social Construction of Gender, 250). This cultural basis of gender is relevant in both Indian and Western cultures. Mrs. Bhamra wants her daughter to focus less on soccer and more on learning to become an appropriate Sikh woman and she does so by giving Jess cooking lessons. Jess views the cooking lessons as a way for her mother to control her and push her into to becoming more womanly. Jules is much like her friend Jess: sporty and passionate about soccer. Mrs. Paxton, Jules mother, is struggling to understand her daughter who is much more interested in soccer than going shopping and boys like regular girls. Both mothers share a detachment from their daughters. The Paxton’s portray the regular family living in the Hounslow neighborhood yet there is a certain role Mrs. Paxton expects her daughter to conform to. It is shown that she has a tremendous fear that playing soccer might have affected her daughter’s sexuality. She overhears an argument between Jules and Jess and thinks they are having a lovers quarrel. In this scene, Mrs. Paxton is quick to make an assumption of her daughter having missed the beginning and end of the conversation. Mrs. Paxton later on confronts her daughter about the situation and Jules replies with, “Mother, just because I wear trackies and play a sport does not make me a lesbian” (Bend it like Beckham). Mrs. Paxton is continuously trying to change her daughter into what she seems appropriate behavior for a lady. She tries and pushes Jules to try things she associates with girls like boys and makeup. In a scene, Jules is seen playing soccer in the backyard with her father, when her mother comes in and says, “Alan, when are you gonna realize you have a daughter with breasts, not a son? No boy is gonna want to go out with a girl who’s got bigger muscles than him” (Bend it like Beckham)! Racism occurs everywhere even in our modern world today. Racism is the belief that members of separate races possess different and unequal traits (Ymay, 327). In different instances throughout the film, there is a racist theme that is shown. Mr. Bhamra is against his daughter playing on a club soccer team because he fears that she will be hurt just as he was when he was young. In a discussion between him and Jess’ coach, Mr., Bhamra talks about his reason for not allowing his daughter to play soccer. He recalls that, “Young man, when I was a teenager in Nairobi, I was the best fast bowler in our school. Our team even won the East African Cup. But when I came to this country, nothing. I was not allowed to play in any of the teams, and the bloody Goras in their clubhouses made fun of my turban and sent me off packing” (Bend it Like Beckham)! It is evident that he has dealt with many racist experiences in regards to past sporting career. This has influenced his view on Jess playing sports as he is hesitant and fearful about her being treated differently like he was. This in turn causes Jess to feel like she has hide her love of playing soccer in fear of hurting her father. As the film progresses, Jess encounters some racism while playing during a soccer match. During a game, an opponent pushes and tries to fight Jess while mentioning something offensive to her which in return causes her to fight back. She is given a red card and sent off the field. She is confronted by her coach who tells her that she overacted over

the push but she responds, “That’s not all. She called me a Paki. But I guess that’s something you wouldn’t understand” (Bend it like Beckham). This evidently affected Jess and leaves her distraught and angry. The movie highlights the impact racism can have on an individual and their attitudes of feeling accepted into society. Bend it like Beckham is a film that embodies a collection of themes. Culture, Gender roles, and racism play an important role in the film and in the lives of the characters. Each theme is connected to one another because without culture a person would not be able to distinguish what are appropriate roles for men and women. Culture plays into implied stereotyping because a person is not born being hateful towards other, it is through their environment and culture where they are able to learn about such things. In the film, each character encounters a different form of discrimination and each individual is able to overcome those challenges. CULTURE INDIAN WOMEN   

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Very conservative and modest Not allowed to show much bare skin The role of the women is to stay at home clean, cook and look after the kids. Although nowadays, more Indian women are getting jobs. Traditional clothing for women are saris, which are like dresses with a large sash across it. Saris normally come in warm colours and have patterns or jewel embellishments.

INDIAN MEN  

Expected to work and make money for the family Wear turbans, but the newer generation aren’t required to anymore.

Indian culture is a very serious and complicated culture. There are many rules and expectations that sometimes are very hard to exceed. Indians are very aware and mindful of social order and their status with other people including their family, friends, or strangers. People are defined by the ‘groups’ they belong in (like their family, religion, career path and city) instead of individuals. Sikh is the religion Jess and her family believe in. Sikhism stresses the importance of doing good actions. Sikhs believe that the way to lead a good life is to keep God in heart and mind at all times, live honestly and work hard, treat everyone equally, be generous to the less fortunate and serve others.

Genre and Structure The film combines different genres: sports movie, Coming-of-Age, music clip, but primarily British comedy and Bollywood film. These so-called Bollywood films follow the formal and substantive traditions. A key issue is the preservation of the tradition. The older family members embody the forces of tradition. As an important event, there is often an opulent and glamouros wedding-scene. Music and dance in Bollywood films push the emotions of the characters. They are also the moral censorship, because they help to disguise the love scenes. The British comedy derives its humor from the surreality of everyday life and works with a lot of wit and quick word dialogues. Many protagonists are coming from the working class and middle class, discussed their everyday problems in heavily story-line-orientated stories. Bend it like Beckham juggle with both narrative: Thematically it refers to one of the classic Bollywood themes, the conflict between tradition and modern world. The wedding in the movie is the culmination depicted, but equivalent to the other peak, the football final. This shows the film tradition and modern life with the same weighting. Again, the parents embody the classic values, the father does, however, a conversion and finally supports the willingness of change of the daughter. The conquest of a male-domain Football in Europe is the undisputed leader sport millions of people are excited about. This is true at least for the male version. Although there are now more and more female players, the women's football is not in the same form and will be hardly recognized. In the film, this conservative attitude is represented by the mothers. Jules mother is convinced that playing football diminishes the chances of their daughter in the marriage market. As there is a conversation between Jess and Jules, she even feared that the two are lesbian. Jess mother thinks that sports clothes are improper and would prefer that her daughter learn how to prepare Indian dishes. The mothers are trying to stop their daughters from playing football symbolized in the release of Jess, who sees her female family members in the wall during a freekick. Jess´ situation based on her relationship to her family Bend it like Beckham picks a topic, which is relevant for adolescents, regardless of their cultural context. It is about the creation of self-determination and the own conceptions of life, independent from external expectations, and thus linked to questions of identity and personal values. For Jess, that leads to a special conflict, because her culture traditionally admits less freedom. From a dramaturgical perspective, it allows to enhance the universal conflict. Through the culture movement the film tells about, the understanding and tolerance for differences in other cultures are encouraged. Seemingly effortlessly the film combines conflicts, which are characterized by the close social contact of cultural values and role models, which went through strong developments in European societies over the past decades.

Communication style The Indian culture is oriented toward collectivism and group goals. Their pillar is traditional house holding and the family. We can see that Jess has a huge amount of relatives who really are happy with her sister's wedding. We can see with Jess' sister's wedding the role and active participation the family plays in Indian culture. We can see also that the status is very important for Indians. In the episode Jess's coach comes to talk to her family about football trainings. Jess's father was telling his attitude to football and to problems that he had many years ago because of the football, at the same time Jess interrupted him and tried to say some her own opinions, but it was prohibited because father is the head of the family. So Jess's mother made the reprimand: "It is your father, you can't talk while your father is talking." This moment shows us the respect and the importance of the status. The Cultures and Relationships Expressed in Bend It Like Beckham The movie Bend It Like Beckham was released in 2002 by producer Gurinder Chadha. Ever since then, it has received critical acclaim for being “full of easy, an impeccable sense of milieu that is the result of knowing the culture intimately enough to poke fun at it while understanding its underlying integrity.”* The movie has been nominated several times as “Best Film of the Year”. Although this movie is considered a comedy, it expresses relationships and cultures in a serious tone. I feel the way the characters behave with one another demonstrates a deeper meaning underneath the comedic outline, for example the two relationships of Jules and her parents and Jasminder and her soccer coach. The cultures in the movie are also very diverse, such as the Indian culture compared to the culture of soccer. Both of the cultures are respected in different ways, like how the Indian culture is restricted by a social hierarchy and the soccer culture is respected in unity. Jules’ and her parent’s relationship can be described in many ways, but I feel the two dominant features displayed within their relationship have to be adaptability and cautiousness. I feel Jules’s parents have been adaptable to Jules’ soccer career because they always want what is best for Jules. Jules’ mother does not adapt to her daughter’s soccer vision at the same speed as the father. Jules’ dad has promoted her dream to become a professional soccer player for a very long time, although Jules’ mother has been against this fantasy. Her mother wants Jules to have a respectable job such as a “math teacher”. However by the end of the movie, Jules’ mother has broadened her mind for the benefit of her daughter to explore different job opportunities she has an interest in. The other example of a quality, which I feel is dominant throughout the motion picture, is cautiousness, or being tentative. Jules’ parents are cautious with their daughter because they fear Jules will fall onto the wrong path of life. At least, what they feel is the wrong path for Jules. Jules’ mother and father were misguided into thinking Jules was homosexual with Jasminder. Although they were mistaken about this assumption, they spoke to Jules about her sexual preferences because they were guarded over their daughter. I think the parents were also tentative about sending Jules abroad to America because they had to be reassured that soccer was what Jules really wanted. I feel this shows Jules’ parents in a differe...