This scene then dissolves into a bird’s eye view of the big day of the match & wedding. To help set the atmosphere non diegetic music is played. The music is Indian which had loud drum beats to show how important both events are but it is slow at the same time to show that Jess is feeling sad and left out and kept away from her dreams. During this scene it continuously cross cuts from the wedding to the match and showing Jess’s sadness on her face as her dreams were being removed from her life. The effect and purpose that the cross cutting gives is that shows two different things that are happing at the same time but in two different places. The wedding shows how Jess and all her family are feeling, the camera is mostly on Jess and her sister. This shows that Jess has to sacrifice what she wants for her family and please them. Jess is being continuously told to do jobs for her family and handing out food, while her sister is having fun like the rest of her family. The camera too is also on Jules (her friend at the football club) and Jo at the football match. From their faces you can see that they are frustrated because Jess is not there and because they are not doing well in the game that they are playing.
The moment the mood change is when Jess is told she can go to the match by her father, “Just quickly go, I can no longer see you in this sad face. But come back before this wedding finishes.” The non diegetic music changes to a more cheerful Indian style by changing the speed and instruments to make it more ‘up beat’. Jess arrives at the match and the tension starts to build as she has to take the free shot. This shot that she has to take reminds her of the free shot that she had to take in Germany, when she missed. This tells us that she could not get past her family and her struggles. Her defenders suddenly turn into her family. This adds slight humour to the film and shows that her family are defending against her and are her struggles. All of this is in slow motion to show the emotions on all of their faces and to build up the tension to heighten the drama. Along with this is a change of non diegetic music of an opera style that is loud but slow to go with the effect of slow motion.
To pass all the struggles that Jess has come across she must make the goal. As the tension builds the music gets louder then Jess takes the shot. She makes it then the opera music is very loud to show the importance of the game and that she has made it past her struggles which were family. Jess’s team lifts Jess up into the air to show that they are proud of Jess and now that Jess is free from her struggles. At the same time it cross cuts back to the wedding where Pinky (Jess’s sister) is lifted up as well to show that she is also free from her family doing the things she wants to do. This is when the film starts to come to a conclusion, as the characters are fulfilling their dreams.
But meanwhile Jules’s mother still thinks that Jules and Jess are lesbians. Back at the wedding when Jess returns Jules’s mother shouts it out in front of Jess and her family. This gives more humour to the film while breaking the tension and taking it off of Jess’s football. A specific camera technique is used here. This is called tracking when the camera follows the actor. Here the camera follows Jules’s mother when she storms up to Jess to confront her about being a lesbian with her daughter. The camera then stops tracking and goes into a medium shot of Jess and Jules’s mother to show their conversation. It then draws into a close up to show only them two and not any other actors. It also shows facial expressions of both of the actors. Here Jules’s mother is shown as a stereotype. She is represented as a typical blonde ‘bimbo’ by the clothes she wears and the attitudes she has towards Jules playing football and what she thinks about her daughter being a lesbian. But then her mood changes when she finds out that her daughter is not a lesbians. She says “there’s nothing wrong with being a lesbian.” This shows that Jules’s mother is portrayed as a dumb blonde who is narrow minded.
Although Jess is totally oblivious to what Jules’s mother is thinking. This is shown by the camera when a close up shot of her face is done. Jess tries to push it to aside while her typical Indian family haven’t got a clue to what is happening.
Back at the house there is a tense atmosphere of the voices of her family, as Jess still has not broken the news about America to her parents. Jess and her friend Tony talk secretly. There is use of a close up shot between them to show their secrecy and the private conversation. It shows how close they are in friendship. Tony is shown totally different from the other characters. He accepts Jess for who she is, just like she does for him. He is not shown as a stereotype and believes in her, this is what challenges the audience’s expectations. Therefore Tony lies for Jess so she can go to America. This shows that he will do anything as he cares for her. On the other hand Jess finally comes clean and tell her parents for herself. This way Jess is set free from her parents. Her father doesn’t want to go through the same mistake that he took.
In the end the same song “move on up” plays again, as it did in the beginning. This show that Jess has moved up from her typical home life to what she wants to do. Jess gets to go to America and her parents are pleased and proud. They have both changed in their own ways. Her dad has understood Jess’s needs, and her mother has accepted other people and their differences. As she gives Jules’s mother a tissue as a peace offering. Her sister is happy too and has moved on with a new baby due soon.
Throughout the film Jess is portrayed as an outsider from the rest of her family. Her dreams and wishes are different and are not expected. But she still wants to please her parents and stick to her culture, as a quote from earlier in the film shows “it’s just the culture”.
Jules is also shown in a similar way as she has a struggle with her mother when playing football. She is shown as a girl who has a love for football as her costume and attitude shows. These sign infer to the audience that these girls are different. Earlier in the film she wears a lot of sport clothes but as she attracted to Jo (coach) so she wears more and more feminine clothes to show that if she likes football it doesn’t means she has to dress like a man.
On the other hand Jess and Jules’s mother are shown as stereotypes. Jess’s mother is a typical Indian and despises Jess playing football. All she cares about is her getting married, learning to cook and becoming a doctor or lawyer. “No man will want to marry you looking like that. You playing in the sun look how dark you’ve become.”
Jules’s mother is also similar with her blonde bimbo ways. Always worrying about the way she looks and what she’s wearing showing that she is ignorant. She is also worried that her daughter will not get a boyfriend and lead to believe that she is a lesbian. She too disapproves of Jules playing football but beginning to accept it.
Pinky is also the same; she is shown as a stereotype. Pinky is very feminine and conscious about her looks. But trying to please her parents by getting married.
Tony and Jo both have secrets that they have hid from there parents. But are both supportive of Jess in what ever she does. Tony hides that he is gay from his family and Jo hid that he was coaching a girl’s football team from his father. They both do this to protect themselves from embarrassment and hurt. They are scared that they will not fit into the crowd.
Although Jess’s father is shown as a stereotype like his wife, he does change. He begins to believe in her and wants her to be happy and follow her dreams. He does not want her to be behind trapped door. He is also inspired by his daughter way and plays cricket again which was once his dream.
The narrative of this film is produced as formula. It follows the dreams of Jess wanting to play football, and then puts it against the odds of it happing. But she comes across problems fighting for dream with her family. Although you could say the end was predictable as Jess gets to play football professionally in America. But the way it leads up to this ending is not predictable. When Jess takes down her picture of David Beckham it questions the audiences if Jess is going to play football or not. But when Jo turns up it changes the audiences thought. It is like this throughout the ending of the film. This keeps the viewers interested in watching the film and builds more tension to the end on Jess when she gets a free shot.
Jess’s values which are explicit and most important in this film is her dream. It is shown clearly that she wishes to play football; this is shown by her determination to play. By her sneaking out to play in matches and lies to her family to prevent them from knowing the truth. Also the rebelling against her family that Jess has shows that she really wants to play. Even when her parents tell her not to go and play football she still goes and gets her sister Pinky to lie for her. When her family have changed her mind and take away her dream it is clear that Jess still wants to play. This is shown when close up expression and the feeling that she is trapped.
Jess’s family expectations are also very clear. As her mother is shown as a typical Indian stereotype and throughout the film her mother says particular things to Jess to help make the family expectation clearer to the audience. For example this quote, “no man will want to marry you…” shows that all Indian girls should get married. Another quote “at least I’ve taught you full Indian cooking, meat and vegetable” showing that all Indian girls should learn to cook. Earlier on in the film Jess was telling her football captain about her culture in getting married to certain men. “Muslim, no way. Black, uh urn” and moving her finger across her neck implying that she will be killed is she did a something like that. This shows that Jess is only allowed to get married to her on race.
Then when Jess becomes successful it totally goes against her family expectations. But this is what it is that completes the director’s intensions.
The role of Jess’s family is a stereotype. The parents of the family must get the children married off and learn them all the Indian traditions. They must have certain jobs which pays them a lot. But this vision is blurred when things go Jess’s way and her dream is becoming true. Which is also adds to the directors intentions.
As ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ is set in west London, Southall this is mostly an Asian place and shows what Jess has to live up to. As the place is a typical Asian area, Jess had to stick to their customs and this is what her parents want. But the fact that it is set in the 21st century makes the situation different. This shows that Jess doesn’t want to stick to traditions but to change so she can fulfil her dream. Again this is another point to add to make the directors intentions.
Going back to the director intentions, this was to make a film to show to people that anything is possible. It doesn’t matter who you are but you can make your dreams come true, if you have the determination and no matter what problems you may come across just keep trying. This is what Gurinder wanted the audience to learn from the film. This is how she made film come to a satisfying conclusion. By the cinematography, the way the characters are represented and the perspective of the film and characters. And all of this is what helps put the film together and help get the directors intentions and message across to the audience.