Movie - Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

About the film

A young British Indian girl, Jess, struggles to live the dream of playing football professionally because of her traditional Indian family. Her sister’s wedding pressures Jess to do her duties and shows the need for her family to stick to the British Indian community’s traditions. In the meantime, Jess’ father worries about the anti-Indian sentiment he first felt when excluded from a cricket club in England, and he tries to protect his daughter. However, to help Jess not give up on her dream Jules, a girl footballer, and her coach Joe, introduce Jess to the world of professional football. Still, secrets, matches, love, and misunderstandings get in the way, putting her future career in danger.

Bend It Like Beckham is a British classic, a social comedy tackling the theme of acceptance. From Jess’ “unconventional” dream of becoming a professional footballer against her parent’s conservative wishes to the anti-Indian sentiment within the British sports environment, the film wants its audience to reflect while getting entertained.

“Mother, just because I wear trakkies and play sports does not make me a lesbian!”. Although not explicitly discussed, the film touches on LGBTQ+ topics such as gender stereotypes, acceptance, homophobia and was therefore well received by the LGBTQ+ community. The director of the film, Chada Gurinder actively triumphs female filmmakers and was also named by the British Film Institute as the UK’s most prolific female director of her generation.