Introduction
Bend It Like Beckham is a classic story of the traditional versus the new. Jess appears to be like a lot of other daughters of Indian immigrants, growing up in England. She gets good grades, has never gotten into serious trouble with the law, and listens to her parents. On the inside, though, she is battling the constant conflict with being true to herself and being what her family and culture dictates she should be. She comes from a loving traditional family often tell her who she should be. Anything different from tradition was risky, strange, and a little scary. At first her family appears overbearing and dysfunctional, forcing everyone to fulfill certain roles and not deviate from what is considered acceptable. Ultimately, when Jess feels forced to choose between family and her love of sport, she chooses family, even when her non-Indian soccer friends tell her otherwise. In return, Jess’ family surprises her, proving that love and respect are more important to tradition.
Description of Movie Family
Jess is the younger daughter of very traditional Indian immigrants in Hounslow, England. She is not like her parents who stick to the ways of the cold country, nor is she like her older sister Pinky who loves makeup and dresses and fancies boys. Instead, her passions and talent lie towards playing soccer. To play soccer professionally would be a dream come true for her, but her family expects her to do well in school, become a successful professional, get married, have babies, and cook for her family, just like her mother did. Jess’ father, a pilot, is soft-spoken but firm, and her mother, a housewife, is occasionally shrill, often lamenting her misbehaving daughters who don’t want to learn how to cook, dress appropriately, or be modest around boys. Behind their backs, Jess joins a soccer team after one of the team members, a white English girl,