Jess's skills, he and his wife believe that Jess should seek out marriage to fullfill her cultural commitments. Jess however doesn't buy into this theory. Her passion for the game of soccer far outweighs the dreams that her parents have for her and she is willing to chance their dislike of her choices in an effort to "Bend it Like Beckham." She endures the constant nagging of her mother and continues to play the game she holds so dear to her. Upon catching her playing soccer one day in the park we witness a scene in which her mother asks Jess, "What family will want a girl that can kick a futbol but can't cook?". This line of questioning holds true with Jess's families feelings towards her soccer career and life commitments throughout the movie. Jess is an outcast from her family and culture in the sense that she doens't meet their expectations as a young Indian girl but through it all she seeks her ultimate happiness through soccer.
A supporting character in this film, Jules, is outcast for another reason. Her mother believes that a young lady should look a certain way and dress a certain way. Jules however doesn't buy into this line of reasoning and follows her passion for soccer as well inspite of her mother's lack of support. Her mother even comes to believe that perhaps her daughter's sexuality is to be questioned because she is very tomboyish and seems uninterested in the opposite sex. When Jess and Jules have a misunderstanding over the affection of their coach, Jules's mother overhears the discussion and jumps to the conclusion that her daughter is a lesbian. Her always pushes upon Jules the idea of looking like a lady but Jules will have none of it. She like Jess is following her dreams and refuses to let the thoughts of her mother stop her. She endures daily questioning as her mother just doesn't understand her motives. She is constantly left to feel like she doesn't live up to her mother's expectations becuase she has a dream and won't let her cultural ideas of what a proper woman should look like stand in her way. Inspite of the obstacles placed before her she refuses to let being an outcast in most social circles stand in the way of her dreams.
In life we are all searching for an identity and the makers of this film did a marvelous job exploring layer after layer of societal outcasts. We all have obstacles to overcome in living up to the expectations placed upon us by society and our family. Our family and culture expect us to live up to a certain set of ideals and when we don't there is often a great deal of backlash that comes with it. In the end we are all searching for happiness and sometimes that causes us to become an outcast within our family's our cultural's traditional roles. If we remaing true to our ideals and remaine passionate about what is the source of our utimate happiness, those who are nearest and dearest to us will also come around at some point. We may be an outcast for a while but when our true passions are realized the love and support of our family in friend will follow in the end. Jules and Jess were outcast by their family and friend because they didn't follow the traditional roles their families had intended for them. In the end the most important thing to the ones who are nearest and dearest to us is our happiness and as in this film being an outcast isn't forever.
The new-
Much can be debated about what the true meaning of an outsider really is, but all of that discussion leads back to one idea. An outsider is one who doesn't fit into a given group in our society. We are all an insider or outsider in some fashion, but being on the outside looking in can cause one to question themselves, and the choices they are making in life. To belong often holds special meaning, and to not fit the mold that others want a person to, leaves them being tagged as an outcast. The film "Bend it Like Beckham", was layered with different levels of outsiders, and created a firm understanding of what it means to not fit in from start to finish. The idea that not conforming to the societal rules of your group makes a person not fit in, and thus become an outsider was prevalent throughout the entire film. Characters were developed that challenged the rules associated with many different roles in today’s society, and helped to bolster that definition. It also strengthened my views about the difficulties associated with not fitting your “chosen” role.
Much can be debated about what the true meaning of an outsider really is, but all of that discussion leads back to one idea. An outsider is one who doesn't fit into a given group in our society. We are all an insider or outsider in some fashion, but being on the outside looking in can cause one to question themselves, and the choices they are making in life. To belong often holds special meaning, and to not fit the mold that others want a person to, leaves them being tagged as an outcast. The film "Bend it Like Beckham", was layered with different levels of outsiders, and created a firm understanding of what it means to not fit in from start to finish. The idea that not conforming to the societal rules of your group makes a person not fit in, and thus become an outsider was prevalent throughout the entire film. Characters were developed that challenged the rules associated with many different roles in today’s society, and helped to bolster that definition. It also strengthened my views about the difficulties associated with not fitting your “chosen” role.
The film does a masterful job of defining an outsider, and the main character Jess is the epitome of what that means. As a young Indian woman, coming of age, it is the expectation of her family and culture that she set upon the course of marriage, to a fine young Indian boy, and be the prototypical wife. She is expected to learn how to cook proper Indian cuisine, decorate a proper house, and carry herself as a proper Indian woman. Jess however has an undying passion for the game of soccer that is all consuming. Her parents allowed her to be passionate about soccer as a young girl, but now that she is coming of age, culture, family, and religion, suggests that she should put her energy into the life that awaits the traditional Indian girl. In an act of defiance, which creates her place as an outsider, Jess follows her heart rather than her family’s wishes. Had she given into the pressures placed upon her by her parents, she would have went off to college and left behind any notion of playing soccer. This would have appeased her parents and their culture, and placed her within the boundaries of that group, but she followed her heart, and stayed on the outside looking in.
A supporting character in this film, Jules, is outcast for another reason, and reaffirms the definition. Her mother believes that a young lady should look a certain way and dress a certain way. Jules however doesn't buy into this line of reasoning and follows her passion for soccer as well, in spite of her mother's lack of support. Her mother even comes to believe that perhaps her daughter's sexuality is to be questioned because she is very tomboyish and seems uninterested in the opposite sex. When Jess and Jules have a misunderstanding over the affection of their coach, Jules's mother overhears the discussion and jumps to the conclusion that her daughter is a lesbian. She, like Jess is following her dreams and refuses to let the thoughts of her mother stop her, creating a role as an outsider. Our society has rules about how women should present themselves, and when those rules aren’t followed, people jump to conclusions. These conclusions lead to people being labeled as outcasts. It is very disturbing to see the alienation caused by a parent but it cements the idea and how it comes about.
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