Monday, April 22, 2013

Bend it Like Beckham


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 fiancĂ©. 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

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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