SynopsisWest London, the present day. Jesminda is an 18-year-old Asian girl with a talent for football. She is spotted by Julie, who plays for a local girls' team, and soon Jess joins the team. Subsequently, she must deal with her family's resistance to her passion as it doesn't conform to the career path her parents expect of her – to study law at university. Complicating matters further, Jess develops a relationship with Julie's boyfriend, Joe, who is the team coach.
Commentary
Bend it Like Beckham reflects a British film and TV tradition of realism. For the scenes and sequences at Jess's home, the lighting has a flat, distant quality and the décor suggests a staid and traditional sense of Britishness. The camera tends to be locked off (stationary), denying the home any sense of energy. This contrasts with the use of a mobile camera during the football scenes, when the film has a richer (saturated) colour palette; sequences are cut quickly and are often supported by pop songs. This energy and intensity of action away from Jess's home makes visual the enriching experience that playing football is for her. Furthermore, this combination of image and music allows the film to speak directly to an audience the same age as the protagonists. For example, in the sequence where Jess and Julie go into central London to buy football boots there is no dialogue and no synchronous sound. Instead it is a montage of images cut to a song about ambition and moving forward. The sequence has the quality of a music video. Like other teen dramas, the film explores the relationship between parents and children, such as in the scene where Jess is at home with her parents after her mother has seen her in the park playing football. This domestic scene references key issues about what it is to be 'a proper woman' as defined by traditional Indian culture.
The film was part of an upsurge in the prominence of Asian culture in Britain in the late 1990s. It expresses the intersection of Asian and British culture across its narrative and the bonds and unities of the cultures most clearly and successfully through the use of inter-cutting between football training and preparations for an Indian wedding. Its closing image reinforces this sense of celebrating the fusion of cultures and traditions. Music also binds the disparate cultures together. We hear Indian music over football training montages and we hear British music (Texas's 'Inner Child') over the opening images of the wedding. There is an Indian cover version of a 1980s classic pop ballad, 'The Power of Love' by Jennifer Rush.
Analysis Work
- Describe the representations found on the DVD/film poster (include an image of DVD/film poster) (this should be a detailed character textual analysis - A2 level)
- How does the film reflect changing attitudes to gender and ethnic identity in contemporary Britain?
- What are the problems Jess faces as a British Asian 18-year-old girl?
- How can filmmakers make a difference by representing the diversity national, regional, religious and ethnic identity in UK?
- What does this film say about gender?
- In what way are British teens represented in this film? (use specific examples from the text, consider the fact that it is a positive representation)
- What are the themes and issues of this film? How are they represented/what is the film saying about them? (friendship, gender, ethnicity/culture, family, growing up)
1. The main image shows a clear representation of two females who share a close relationship, which is obvious because they are hugging and laughing with each other. The way Jess is holding Jules looks similar to a tackle which could connote their hobby of football and their playful personalities. The clothes they are wearing would imply they enjoy some kind of sport and because the tracksuits and shorts are typical sportswear outfits. Jess is wearing trouser bottoms compared to Jules who is wearing shorts which within the film you realise is because Jess is self conscious of a burn she got when she was younger, this is just a small obstacle to her football career.
Jules has a short bob which could represent her tomboy side as it is more practical to have short hair when playing sports or it could just be personal preference but within the film this hairstyle creates doubt of Jules and Jess' relationship and characters begin to wonder whether they are more than friends.
Jess and Jules' are smiling in the film poster which would suggests to the audience that they are generally happy people and don't have any serious issues going on in their lives. It also helps to create a friendship between the two characters and shows to the audience that they are close friends rather than if they were pulling an angry face.
2. The attitudes towards gender and ethnicity within the film are very traditional because Jules' mum wishes for her to be a feminine, lady like figure and take on all the typical female roles e.g. to find herself a man, wear pretty clothes. Whereas for Jess' within their religion her parents expect her to be well educated and go to University, as well as learn how to cook traditional Indian meals.
The children of the parents (Jess and Jules) however go against the stereotypical ideas of ethnicity and gender because Jess wishes to play football as a career which is not thought to be a stereotypical female job or hobby to have especially as she is Asian this goes against the religion and believes she was bought up with. Jess goes against her parents stereotypical ideas of femininity as she wears masculine clothes for example sports shorts, trackies
Both of their fathers however are more supportive over their children's ambitions and have a more modern view of teenagers at this age which I think goes against typical conventions of parents. I feel it is more stereotypical that fathers follow the more traditional views and mothers are the supportive figures over what their child wants to do, particularly as fathers tend to play the more dominant protective role within parenting.
3. Problems that Jess faces as an Asian British 18-year-old:
- Insecurities with the way she looks: her burn she got when she was a child.
- Friendship issues: Jess and Jules' both fancy their coach.
- Parents: wanting her to go to University and study in the UK, marry an Asian man, learn to cook.
- Jess' sisters parents getting the wrong end of the stick when she hugs her friend: upsetting her sister because her sister cant marry her husband because they misunderstood the situations between Jess and Jules.
- Keeping secrets from her parents about playing football and going away.
- Wanting to go to an important football match but her sisters wedding is the same day.
- Having to leave her coach/boyfriend to study football abroad.
- Leaving her parents to study football abroad.
5. Within this film it makes clear to the audience that you cannot be stereotypical over how people look or behave and assume that they are gay just because they don't follow typical conventions of a female or male. The women are both straight however, doubt is put into the audience mind about Jules' sexuality to start off with because we are given hints that she could be gay when she isn't interested in 'girly' clothing and when she plays football and is seen looking at Jess in the park.
Tony one of Jess' close male friends is gay but the audience is made to believe that he fancies Jess to start of with because he cares about her and takes an interest in her however the audience is tricked and we find out that he is gay.
Overall, I feel gender is presented in a more broadened view and teaches the audience that stereotypical views of people are not always correct in this day and age.
