Cultural Differences In The Film Bend It Like Beckham

Over generations, culture has changed drastically. Culture can be characterized as our feeling of having a place with a specific society or ethnic group. As the world is progressing cultural norms are being retested and reclassified. In today’s society people want to do things their way and not the way their ancestors have been doing. Years ago people were very narrow-minded and did things traditionally or the way that the society accepted. This was exactly the case in the film Bend it Like Beckham. Bend it Like Beckham is a film about an Indian family that lives in the United Kingdom. Born into a traditional Indian family, yet raised in UK, the main character Jesminder(Jess), deals with cultural differences that she has a hard time accepting. The film not only portrays culture differences, but also racism, sexuality, and interracial relationships. In the film, Jess has the desire to play soccer but unfortunately she does not have the freedom to do so because she is becoming a young woman. She is expected to learn all the house chores, such as cooking Punjabi foods and cleaning so she can marry a well cultured Indian boy. However, she doesn’t care about any of that because her only goal is to play soccer. She played with boys from the neighborhood until one day Juliette( Jules) sees Jess playing soccer and asks her if she …show more content…
In Jess ' family, the thought of homosexuality is still unthinkable. Indeed, even to Jess. It is seen as an outside issue, one that doesn 't exist in the Sikh society. Despite everything they choose not to see to it happening in their home. This is showed when Jess talks to her friend Tony. Tony says, “No Jess, I really like Beckham,” Jess responds with, “but you’re Indian”. Tony tells Jess that he is gay. Jess is stunned because in Sikh culture it is not even a question for homosexuality to be accepted. However, being from a modern generation, Jess is able to accept him for the way he