Bibliographic
Information: Chadha, G., Nayare, D. (Prodcers) & Chadha, G. (Director).
(2002). Bend it like Beckham [DVD].
United States: 20th Century Fox.
Starring: Parminder
Nagra, Keira Knightly, Jonathan Rhys
Plot Summary: Soccer
is the only thing Jesminder “Jess” Bhamra cares about, but despite the fact
that she’s grown up in the Western civilized world of London, England, her Sikh
family are trying to maintain their cultural values. Unfortunately for Jess,
this means that soccer is out of the question. Not only is it too manly, but it
requires her to show too much skin, and be strong muscled—not the fine
qualities of a bride. It certainly doesn’t help that her sister is engaged, and
the festivities surrounding the impending wedding day require Jess to stick her
duties of shopping for wedding shoes, learning to cook an entire family meal,
and showing her sister support.
Against
her parents wishes, Jess secretly plays soccer with some boys at the park and
one day, an English girl named Jules, sees Jess’s skills and ability to “bend
the ball like Beckham.” Jules asks Jess to join her soccer team, and
reluctantly she does. On her new team, she shows insecurity about wearing
shorts (a childhood accident has left her thigh scarred), but her coach, Joe,
shows her his own messed up knee from several surgeries, and she feels better.
As Jess struggles to keep her soccer practices a secret (telling her parents
she has a job), her and Jules both develop a romantic interest in Joe. When
Jules witnesses Jess and Joe almost kiss, their friendship is broken. What’s
worse, Jess’s father, who started to show some support for her talent,
witnesses her hugging her coach after an upsetting game.
Jess
is then accepted into a University and accepts the fact that she can’t play
soccer any more, despite an American scout’s interest in her. Meanwhile, Jules
is facing similar parental problems when her mother wrongly assumes she is a
lesbian (simply for being athletic). But when both Jess and Jules are offered a
scholarship in America, they find a way to mend their friendship and families
in the process.
Critical Evaluation: Jess
represents the multitude of barriers that have faced women through out history,
especially women who are the daughters of immigrant parents. One the one hand,
Jess is lucky to have a family that cares about her so much, but their
traditional values are preventing her from finding an identity in the more
modern world—a world that celebrates women’s ability to play rough like men.
Jess feels like her parents are blind to her sister’s immoral ways of dressing sleazy,
and secretly having sexual encounters with her fiancé. But Jess has an actual
talent that can lead to success, and she’s not trying to deceive them—in fact,
she wants to share her love of soccer with them, but they refuse to understand.
With a little determination, she breaks through to her dad, who was an athlete
in his younger years, and through sheer will power, makes her dreams come true.
Reader’s Annotation: Jess
wants to be professional soccer player, but her conservative Sikh parents only
want her to be proper lady and get married.
Director Information:
Wikipedia states, “Gurinder Chadha (born 10 January 1960) is a British film director of Sikh Indian origin.
Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in the United Kingdom.
She is best known for the hit films Bhaji on the Beach (1993), Bend It Like
Beckham (2002), Bride and Prejudice (2004)
and Angus, Thongs
and Perfect Snogging (2008). Her most recent project is the
comedy film, It's a
Wonderful Afterlife released on 21 April 2010.
Gurinder Chadha was born in Nairobi. Her family was
part of the Indian
diaspora in East Africa. They moved to Southall, West London when she was
two years of age, where she attended Clifton Primary School. After graduating
from the University of
East Anglia, Chadha attended the London
College of Printing in 1984/85 and studied for a post-graduate
diploma in radio journalism, following which she worked as a BBC Radio reporter.
Chadha then began working in television, and moved into film production in
1993.
She is married to Japanese-American filmmaker Paul Mayeda Berges, with
whom she sometimes collaborates. They have twins, born in June 2007.”
Genre: Comedy,
Drama, Romance
Subjects: independence,
family, love, soccer, cultural heritage
Curriculum Ties: Culture and Society
Curriculum Ties: Culture and Society
Booktalking Ideas: Have your parents ever disagreed with your dreams?
How does Jess find a way to balance respect for her family and culture, without hindering her dreams?
Reading
Level/Interest Age: 13+
Challenge Issues/Defense:
N/A
Reason for Selection:
This award winning film offers girls, especially those who feel restricted
by their cultural heritage, an example of a successful coming-of-age tale. The
struggle to become independent without betraying family is an issue that will
resonate with teens.
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