Recently, I have watched a film, “Bend It
Like Beckham”. The film deals with many cross-cultural issues that Jess faces
as an immigrant in the Britain community. Rebecca Murray, a film critic, writes
a review that discusses the cultural values that are present in the film. He
discusses the cultural values that are reflected in the film. I agreed with his
idea that Jess’ culture has clearly defined and traditional gender roles: women
are expected to be caregiver, while men are supposed to be the sole
breadwinners. Jess tries to go against this norm by becoming a professional
female soccer player, and her aspiration entails many conflicts. Trying to satisfy
both her dream and her family’s expectations, Jess lives a double life. Though
desiring to break away from the cultural norms, I could identify some evidences
of Jess’ influences from the Sikh culture, for example, reluctance to undress
in front of other girls. I think this was what made the film even more
realistic, in that Jess is not completely detached from her culture. Murray
compliments the realistic soccer scenes and the cast’s successful acting. I
also agree that those elements enhanced the development of the film’s themes
and ideas. Overall, “Bend It Like Beckham” is a refreshing film that combines sports,
romance, courage, culture and comedy successfully.
Link to Rebecca Murray's review:
http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aabenditlikebeckhamreview.htm
Link to Rebecca Murray's review:
http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aabenditlikebeckhamreview.htm
