Bend It Like Beckham is a 2002 British-German romantic comedy-drama sports film produced, written and directed by Gurinder Chadha. The film supports the idea that it is okay to be different and not be the stereotypical person that your family or culture demands. We are reminded of this theme throughout the film in different ways. This is a coming-of-age film, or in other words, a bildungsroman. The film displays the ideas of culture, family obligations, relationships and sexuality. As can be seen in the film, the different characters must overcome many obstacles and call upon their inner strength and self-confidence. Jess, Jules and Tony are the three characters who struggle to find themselves and know their strengths as well as their weaknesses. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The film's protagonist, Jess, struggles to find the perfect balance between family expectations, conforming to society's expectations of a traditional Indian woman and her passion for football. At the start of the film, Jess dreams of playing football professionally and having the support of her family. She idolizes everything about David Beckham, his appearance but especially his football talent. When given the opportunity to start playing soccer competitively, she does her best to commit without telling her parents, as a result, Jess's parents not only find out, but she is banned to play football. She then chooses to defy her parents again by not respecting their wishes that she leave the team. Ultimately, Jess chooses to continue playing soccer. When Jess returns from Germany, she faces anger from her parents and Jess and struggles to juggle everything on her plate. Her parents are hurt, upset and disappointed when they find out Jess plays football. Not only did she hide this truth about football, she lied about her job. Part of the reason Jess's parents are so opposed to Jess playing soccer is because she is not focused on her studies, she has no plans to become a lawyer like her parents would like that she is and that she does something that is not normal. Jess later explains that she is not a traditional Indian woman and didn't want to do it. Tony, Jess's best friend, also doesn't conform to society's expectations. It turned out they had more in common than they thought, and by a large margin. Tony reveals to Jess that she's not the only one with a crush on David Beckham. When Tony reveals to Jess that he is gay, the first thing Jess says is "but your Indian." This indicates that Jess feels that homosexuality in an Indian culture may not be as tolerant as it is in another culture. Tony only reveals to Jess that he is gay when Jess needs support and when she needs to know that she is not the only one who feels like she is letting others down. In a way, Jess and Tony are in the same boat in that they feel like if they let people see their true colors, they will be disappointing or disappoint others. The more they suppress their true emotions and the more real they are, the more it affects them. Eventually, when Tony tells everyone about him, everyone is confused and a little upset, but once Tony's family, close friends, and community realize that this is really who he is all time. Tony's family eventually learns to support Tony's decision to come out as it ».-09-2019-0269