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Synopsis

Jesminder (Jess) is a Sikh Indian girl living in Hounslow, South East London. Her only dream is to be a

footballer and to be able to “bend it (the ball) like Beckham”. Whilst playing football with her male friends

in the park one day Juliette (Jules), another keen female footballer spots her and invites her to trial for

Hounslow Harriets (The local girls’ team). This is a fantastic opportunity for Jess, but she is torn

between the traditional Sikh culture and the role her mother wants her to play, and a potential career in

football.

For Jess’ mother, a good Indian girl should be able to cook beautiful food, should look feminine and

should get married. Both her mother and father press the importance of study on her, and hope she will

get her ABB grades in order to go on to study to be a solicitor. Her sister, Pinky, is the complete

opposite to Jess, her marriage to Teetu is a love match, not arranged, but she is continuously sneaking

off with her finance. Jules, like Jess suffers similar conflict with her mother, who wants her to be

interested in boys, push up bras and make-up.

Jess is seen with Jules at the bus stop by Teetu’s parents who are driving past, and, because of Jules’

short hair, they mistake her for a white boy (a ‘Ghora’). Shocked at Jess’ shameful behaviour, they

report it to her parents and call off the marriage between Pinky and Teetu. Outraged, Pinky tells their

parents that Jess is playing football, and her mother campaigns to turn Jess back into a good girl.

However, with the help of her friends, the coach Joe and eventually her sister, Jess sneaks off to

matches, finally heading to Hamburg, Germany with the team. They lose the match due to Jess missing

a penalty. In the evening the team go to a club and Joe and Jess nearly kiss, witnessed by Jules (who

has had a crush on Joe for a long time).

Jess and Jules fall out, when the team arrive back in the UK. Jess’ parents are waiting for her, having

seen her photo in the newspaper. Jess tries to patch up her friendship with Jules by visiting her at home,

they argue whilst Jules’ mum eavesdrops. Her mum misunderstands the context of the conversation and

thinks Jules and Jess are in a relationship together. Jules asks her sister whether their parents would be

OK with her dating a white man; Pinky makes it clear that, that is a foolish thing to think. Talking to her

best friend Tony about dating, Jess discovers he is gay, which also would not be accepted in their

community.

Because Pinky and Teetu have missed each other so much, his parents decide to allow the wedding to

go ahead. The wedding day is the same day as the cup final, at which an American coach will come to

see both Jules and Jess. In the build up to Pinky’s wedding, Jess disowns football for her family; she

gets her A Level results and can go to University. Joe visits the family to try to encourage them to let her

play, but with no luck.

On the wedding day, Tony and her father let Jess get to the second half of the match; she helps the

team and is signed by the scout. Tony tries to lie to her family about the two of them getting married so

she can go to America, but Jess decides to be honest and her father agrees to let her go. She tells Joe,

who no longer being her coach wants to kiss her, but she won’t let him. At the airport, the two girls say

goodbye to their family, Tony and Joe. Joe and Jess kiss as the others are distracted by the appearance

of David Beckham.

Production Context • Released: 2002

• Country: Britain

• Director: Gurinder Chadha

• Writers: Gurinda Chadha, Guljit Bindra & Paul Mayeda Berges

• Production Companies: Animor Studios and Future Films

• In association with: Film Council, Kintop Pictures & Filmförderung Hamburg

Character Profiles

Jesminder (Jess)

Jess is unlike the other young Indian girls in her area, who watch the boys playing football, talk about

which one they fancy, wear pink tops, make-up and short skirts. Jess isn’t interested in boys, she is only

interested in football and her idol is David Beckham, which is clearly expressed by the way she adorns

her room in posters of him- like a shrine.

Her David Beckham shrine mimics the Sikh shrine her parents have in the living room, whilst they pray

the Guru, she talks to Beckham. Jess is very much assimilated and a modern British girl, she wears

bagging tracksuit bottoms and sport tops, whilst her mother wears a Sari.

Jess is very unfeminine; when the team are in Germany, she doesn’t have a dress to wear out and has

to borrow one. She doesn’t want to participate in the traditions of her family’s culture, for example, when

her mother tries to get her to cook ‘good Indian food’; Jess instead practises football techniques with the

vegetables, as she states to her friend Tony “Who wants to cook Aloo Gobi, when you can bend a ball

like Beckham?”

However, Jess is respectful of her culture and struggles to deal with her romantic interest in her White

male coach, Joe. She doesn’t want to upset her family and sacrifices her football to attend the wedding

of her sister. Through helping Joe deal with his conflict with his father, she is able to help herself and

decides in the end not to lie to her parents anymore, and to ask for their permission to go to America. In

the end, Jess learns not to fear her parents and that they are able to compromise and see her for who

she is.

Juliette (Jules)

Jules is a very talented young footballer. She has short hair, which leads her to be mistaken for both a

boy and a lesbian. She makes it adamantly clear to her mother that she is not interested in boys.

When her mother takes her to the bra shop, she is not interested, opting for the sports bras. Jules was

the driving force in the Hounslow Harriets being set up and in getting Joe to coach the team; she has

been in love with Joe for a long time and keeps a photo of the two of them in her room. She is heart

broken when she sees Jess and Joe together in Hamburg.

Jules is continuously in conflict with her mother, who believes Jules should be feminine and attracting

boys- her mother is a really ‘girly girl’, instead Jules turns to her father. Her and her father practise

football in the garden. Despite being heart broken by the situation between Jess and Joe, her

professionalism for her football keeps her level and she even tries to convince Jess to come back and

play, for Joe. As Jules begins to realise the conflicts Jess has to deal with in her life, she sees some

parallels between her relationship with her mother, and is able to be friends with Jess again.

Joe

Joe was a successful footballer who was driven by his father, also his coach, to be the best. However

his father pushed him so much that Joe ended up injuring himself severely and was never able to play

again. Since, he has worked as the club’s barman and coached the girl’s team.

Joe is troubled by his past, but Jess is able to get him to talk and to think about his relationship with his

father. When Joe is offered the chance to coach the men’s team he is honoured, but through his many

discussions with Jess he chooses to turn it down and stick by his project- the girl’s team and to tell his

father.

Despite knowing he is likely to get fired if he sparks up a relationship with one of the players, Joe feels a

connection with Jess, particularly when he sees her dressed up in Hamburg. He dismisses it after the

trip in order to keep his professionalism, but after she leaves the team ready to go to America, he

declares his real feelings for her and is hurt that she won’t let it be. However, the romance between the

two of them is strong, Jess has helped Joe to see the positives in life again and their final kiss at the

airport seals their love.

Cultural Context

Sikhism

Jess’ family are Indian Sikhs. It is likely they came to England during the 1960s/1970s, when there was

an influx of immigration flow into the UK, particularly from India and its surrounding countries. Jess’

father talks of his childhood in Nairobi, which means Jess is a 2nd generation immigrant, but she is

British because she was born here.

Recession under the Conservative prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, and a growing immigration

community often led some indigenous White British people to be offensive towards immigrants, as they

believed their jobs were being taken or some believed that the new immigrants with their different

cultural beliefs were of a lower status than the British. In Bend it like Beckham Jess suffers this during

the football match in which she is sent off and her father explains how he was excluded from sport by

his English team mates.

Sikhism is a minority religion in India, after Hinduism. Sikhs believe in one god and their philosophy is

that religion should be practised by the way one lives their life and copes with life’s problems, rather

than through constant rituals and prayer. When Bend it like Beckham was released there were

approximately 336,000 Sikhs in the UK, the area of Hounslow, where Jess lives has a vibrant Sikh

community.

Sikhs believe strongly in karma, honesty and respect, but also in working hard, being generous to

others, serving others and equality. Within the religion there is no stated suppression of women or

requirement for arranged marriages. However many marriages are assisted and traditionally women

have seen their role as to serve others by looking after the home and family. In Bend it like Beckham

Jess’ decision not to lie and her father’s acceptance of her chosen career expresses how they have both

learnt to deal with their selfish desires and remembered the teaching of their faith.

Ireland

In the 19th century Ireland was joined with Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

Ireland; however, after the guerrilla war in the 1920s, Ireland became an independent state, to be called

Éire. Éire, or the Republic of Ireland, has its own government, uses the Euro as its currency and has its

own language- Irish Gaelic, though English is commonly spoken too. During the 30 year period of unrest

in Northern Ireland (often referred to as “The Troubles”), there was much conflict between the English

and Irish (both in the North and in the Republic). Underlying rivalry between the two cultures has often

lead to unfair treatment of Irish people and racial taunting in England, in a similar way that immigrants

from abroad have faced.

Women

Women’s social role has changed dramatically, particularly in the West, over the past century. The

suffragette movement in the early 20th century saw women being allowed the vote for the first time.

However, there was still much segregation between women and men in society, women were still seen

as homemakers and subservient to their husbands and family. In the 1970s, the second wave

feminism begun to show the world that women could be strong and active members of society and

wanted to be. Since then, there has been much more equality in the Western world with women taking

on high powered business jobs, men sometimes staying at home to look after children.

Despite this, there are still some traditional ideas that influence modern society, such as the need for

women to be feminine and that certain roles are fitting for women or men. In sport, women still trail far

behind men in terms of pay, coverage and how seriously they are taken. As Jules explains, they will

have to go to America to be able to play football professionally.

People of other cultures or religion coming into modern Britain often find the freedom and confidence of

women unnatural and concerning, as Jess’ mother does, commenting on the young girls wearing mini-

skirts and make-up. Whilst Jess has to fight the preconceptions of her mother, a traditional Sikh, this is

not that different from Jules, who has to fight the perceptions her White, British mother has of women in

society.

Key Terms

2nd generation immigrant: someone whose parents were born in another country and moved to their

current residency (such as the UK), where that person was born.

Second wave feminism: A movement in the 1970s were women called for more rights, desiring

equality to men.

Indigenous: originally form this land.

Immigrant: someone who leaves their home country for another, often seeking to work there.

Suffragette movement: the 1920s women’s right movement, in which women went to such extremes

as hunger strikes to try to get the vote.

Themes

The three main themes of Bend it like Beckham are cultural identity, generational difference and

gender and sexuality. Through the three protagonists we are privy to three different cultural

backgrounds: Irish, Sikh Indian and White middle class British, however the overall message of the film

is, that despite individual differences, each culture is not that foreign to the other- we all share similar

issues and problems in life.

As one can see in the grid above, despite the huge contrasts the film shows in the backgrounds of the

three protagonists, the problems that they face in the narrative are almost identical. They are all fighting

the prejudices of their own family as well as those of the outside world.

Therefore generational differences are central to the film, by the end of Bend it like Beckham Jess,

Jules and Joe have all reconciled with their parents not by giving up their dreams but facing them with

the truth and their parents have learnt to accept their children’s wish. This is less a coming of age film

and more a coming of realisation film about the parents, who have to accept their children, are

becoming adults. The unhappiness of both Joe and Jess is fuelled by a feeling they will disappoint their

parents, however by the end of the film both of them have been truthful and adamant about their dreams

and have found their fathers accepting. Jess’ father makes a real turning point as he realises that

separating from the British sports people as he did after being excluded is not the way, and that Jess is

fighting the fight he had wanted to, the right way.

The comedy of errors style of Bend it like Beckham, in which the comedy arises out of mistaken

identity or misunderstandings, is centred on the idea of gender and sexual identity. When Jess is playing

football in the park with the boys, they continuously jest at her, asking her to ‘chest it’ and she retaliates

by hitting the football into her friend’s groin, leaving him temporarily paralysed. Whilst she plays football

the other girls on the bench sit in striking contrast to her.

Jules, in her masculine sports clothing is mistaken for a boy, which sends Teetu’s and Jess’ families wild

because they think Jess is dating a White boy, which they will not allow. Then later, Jules’ mum

assumes the two girls are dating each other. The older generation are obsessed with cultural exclusivity,

or gender and sexual identity being linked: girls must look and behave like girls. Tony, the only character

who is really homosexual, is not suspected by anyone because he plays football, studies hard and

dresses in t-shirts and jeans. The fact gender/sexual identity is always used as a tool for comedy,

encourages the audience to consider the absurdity in such stereotyping.

Key Sequences

1. Opening sequence

Bend it like Beckham starts with the diegetic sound of sports commentary over the credits, the lack of

image instantly suggests the idea of the invisibility of women in professional sport (particularly football).

When the image appears it seems to be TV archive footage of a Manchester United match, Beckham

is highly featured. Suddenly Jess is mentioned and seen within the footage and the audience realise this

is her fantasy. This is magical realism, as Jess appears inside the archive footage. In the TV studio,

professional football celebrities comment on Jess’ performance then speak to her mother who, dressed

in a Sari, states, in an aggressive tone that she is a ‘shame on the family’. There is then a cut to Jess

being woken out of her fantasy, by her mother shouting through the door of her bedroom. Her mother is

higher in the frame and Jess’ room is covered in posters of David Beckham poster. The posters create

both a shrine to Beckham establishing him as her idol and set up a mirror – his world and Jess’ contrast,

the image she sees when she looks at his picture is the complete opposite to her, but she desires it so

much.

2. Mother finds out 19:00

During the training session She’s a lady plays in the soundtrack over a montage of the girls. The

sequence includes Close-Ups of the girl’s legs and the ball, Wide Shots and Medium Shots in slow

motion of their ability to keep in time with each other and repetition of the ball in the goal, all of which

emphasise their skill and are choreographed to the music. It breaks the convention of girls dancing,

instead their ‘dance’ is football. The music is ironic and establishes the idea that girls can do masculine

things.

The scene then cuts to the park where the boys are playing football. A wide shot establishes the scene

and reveals a church in the background. The church symbolises the cultural clashes that affect the

characters in the film. When the boys laugh at Jess’ scar Tony tries to defend her, but being a strong

new woman Jess is able to fight her own corner and embarrasses them with her football skills.

Whilst they are playing a cut reveals her mother watching through a gap in the bushes, the camera

dollies, following her path as she storms toward Jess. Their costumes reveal the clear binary

opposite of their beliefs: Jess is wearing her football uniform- not only a symbol of Western culture, with

its white and red colouring, but also an image of masculinity, whilst her mother is wearing a traditional

Sikh dress. When her mother tells Jess off, she is framed in a Medium Close-Up in front of the Guru

emphasising her mother’s cultural beliefs. High and Low angle shots are used to establish her mother

in a position of power and Jess as vulnerable.

3. Red Card 01:00

As Jess’ parents leave for the Temple she wears a dressing gown and holds a tissue in her hand which

suggest she is ill. As she returns into the house to get changed into her kit there are stark shadows

which invade the space signifying her deceit. Jess then runs down the street away from the house which

is matched by a shot of her parents returning to the house, building up tension as her father discovers

she is not home.

Close-ups of the football, Joe’s and Jules’ dad’s face reveal the agony of the team loosing. Then a

Wide Shot is used to reveal Jess’ dad joining the crowd, he is surrounded by white faces and is unsure,

but notices Jess’ Asian friends in the crowd too. A graphic match of him and Jules’ dad both clapping in

Medium Shot expresses the similarities between the cultures, despite perceived differences.

Sparse percussion music accompanies the match; building up tension until Jess receives the red card

after one of the other team delivers a racial slur to her. Instantly as the red card appears the music

changes to traditional Indian music, signifying cultural barriers and difference once again- Jess has

suddenly felt the racial segregation her father felt many years ago.

In a Medium 2-Shot, her and Joe speak and realise they both share experience of English prejudice-

their hug unites them.

4. Wedding V Football 01:16

A montage, which cross-cuts between the Wedding and the tournament, final builds tension leading up

to the finale of the film. As the groom rides in to the ceremony, Jules is getting dressed and Joe walks

onto the pitch as the wedding guests walk into the venue. The music accompanying the first half of the

sequence is Western pop music. In a back corridor, a claustrophobic space expressing deceit again,

Jess, her Father and Tony arrange for her to go to the match. This turning point sees an increase in the

editing pace as the cross-cutting continues between Jess getting ready in the car, dancing at the

wedding and the match.

As Jess arrives on the pitch the music changes to traditional Indian music, the wedding guests throw

their arms up as they dance which is matched to the football fans throwing their arms in the air as they

cheer. When Jess prepares for the penalty an aerial shot makes her appear vulnerable, Puccini’s

Nessun Dorma from his Turandot Opera plays (a classic football soundtrack) emphasising the tension

of this moment for her. As she looks at the goal, the wall of girls in front of her turns into her sister,

mother and other women of the Sikh community. This final penalty is a battle against them, a battle

against the traditions of her culture and a chance to prove there is a new way to be a good Sikh woman.

As she scores, a quick cut returns the audience to the wedding and Pinky is lifted by Teetu which

signifies both the climax of the wedding and the match. The two scenes seem so different in terms of the

mise-en-scene, yet the editing reveals their similarities.

5. 01:37 The airport

The final sequence in the airport is an open space which is lit with high-key lighting as it is the

resolution of the film and all the characters are happy. Jules’ parents talk with her and Jess’ with her,

finally all the parents are lined up together revealing a sense of unity between the two communities and

cultures, their costumes still define them as different cultures. Jules and Joe’s kiss is framed in Close-

Up, the audience cannot see her parents and fear that perhaps there will be repercussions, but a Wide

Shot reveals everyone else has spotted David Beckham. As Jules and Jess leave for America, dreams

and reality have come together.