Year 10 English
Analytical Essay “Jess faces several obstacles and challenges in Bend it like Beckham. How does the director use imagery to convey this aspect of the story?” Imagine being born into a family where cultures as well as overprotective parents stop you from following your dream. The film, Bend it like Beckham gives an insight into the life of Jesminder Bhamra, a typical Indian girl with a passion for football. Being raised in a family with a strong sense of culture, Jess was unable to achieve her main goal in life which was to pursue a professional career in football, as it went against the laws and traditions of her Indian heritage. Having overprotective parents who were raised learning the ways of a typical Indian lifestyle also made it difficult for Jess to follow her dream of playing football professionally. Director Gurinder Chadha uses film techniques such as props, camera shots, costumes, and lighting effectively to help convey the many obstacles and challenges Jess is faced with. The director uses camera shots as well as props effectively to portray the clash between the worlds of football and Jess’s Indian heritage. This is evident in the scene where Jess is practicing her skills using a cabbage, whilst her mother is cooking chapattis and getting irritated at her for not being able to cook a full traditional Indian dinner. Instead of paying any attention as to how to cook a traditional meal, she uses the cabbage as a soccer ball to practice her soccer skills. Through Jess’s body language the audience gets the feeling of how Jess is struggling to balance her family’s Indian culture and the world of English Soccer. The camera shot of Mrs Bhamra forward looking back at her daughter also gives the audience an idea of how Mrs Bhamra is aware of the many changes Jess has made growing into becoming a young adult with a passion for football. The use of camera shot as well as props in this particular scene gives the audience an idea of the many obstacles Jess encounters. The director has also used costumes and camera shots effectively to illustrate some of the many obstacles Jess is faced with. The collision between the two cultures Jess inhabits is evident in the scene where her soccer mates quickly redress her into the traditional Sari dress in the change rooms before rushing back to her sisters wedding. The use of costume in this particular scene highlights the clash between the two cultures. Jess is dressed in a traditional Sari, whilst her team mates are wearing the clubs soccer uniform which is western style modern looking. The blue sari Jess is in symbolizes how she is not coping well with the challenges she has been faced with in an attempt to make her dream of playing football professionally a reality. The mid camera shot capturing Jess’s nervous facial expression, whilst her team mates are surrounding her, helping to redress her into the Sari, also illustrates how Jess is feeling nervous about her parents finding out she participated in the grand final during her sisters wedding. It also illustrates how Jess is encountering many difficulties in trying to balance the two most important things in her life, her family and football. The director has made good use of costumes and camera shot in this particular scene to help the audience understand the many difficulties Jess is faced with. The director has also used props in the film scene to effectively illustrate Jess’s struggle. The clash between the world of soccer and her Indian heritage is also evident in the scene where she is practicing her goal kicking using the free space next to the Saris hanging on the clothesline. The soccer ball, the English looking chairs and Jess in her trackies clashes with the traditional Sari dresses hanging on the clothesline in the traditional English garden-Jess’s backyard. This illustrates how Jess has encountered many difficulties in trying to balance her passion for football and Indian Culture. The use of props in this particular scene also helps the audience to understand the many problems Jess is faced with. The use of lighting in the film also helps illustrate the many difficulties Jess encounters. Jess’s struggle to overcome many of the obstacles she encounters is evident in the scene where she is sitting motionless on the floor in her bedroom, staring up and talking to the big poster of superstar soccer player David Beckham. Jess’ obsession with David Beckham is clearly shown in how her bedroom is set out with the walls covered in countless pictures of him as well as his football jersey. Not only was Beckham someone whom Jess looked up to as a role model, the poster of him is also something she feels comfortable talking to considering they both had the same interest in football. The use of lighting in this scene highlights Jess’s miserable life. The light is shining brightly on the wall covered in pictures of David Beckham, whilst Jess is sitting in the darkness. The light shining on David illustrates how he is living the life, with all the fame and making a fortune out of doing what he loves best, playing football, whereas Jess on the opposite hand is trapped in the darkness, unable to follow her dream of playing football. The director’s use of lighting in this particular scene helps viewers to understand the many problems Jess encounters. Being born into a family with a strong sense of culture does have a major impact on the choices you make in life. Although Jesminder encountered many difficulties with her over controlling parents and strict culture, she persisted by taking many risks in an attempt to achieve her goal of pursuing a professional career in football, as she knew this was something she felt very passionate about, and would enjoy making a living out of. By taking many risks, in the end, Jess did manage to successfully achieve her goal, through earning a scholarship to play football professionally in America. Through Jess’s motivating story to success, we can all learn that in life, nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it, and that goals can only be achieved if you are willing to take risks.