The film Bend It like Beckam dealt primarily with issues of Insider vs. Outsider as its primary theme. In general it focused on clashes or cultures however the larger theme of “Us vs. Them” is consistent throughout most of the individual narratives and is one which we all have dealt with and related to in our personal lives. In this essay I will point to specific examples of this narrative within the film as well as tie these themes into my personal experiences of the clash between myself and culture.
In the film Jes is portrayed as an outsider both through her external cultural influences and more importantly by the influences her family exerts on her to accept and comply with her cultural norms. In a sense, she is an outsider by not only external clashes of culture but by her own identity clashing with her own culture.
Jes enjoys soccer, despite her family’s cultural background where women are frowned upon by engaging in this activity as it’s not proper for women to play sports. She defies her family’s wishes and continues despite their objection. Thus, she has become an outsider in her family’s eyes and by association, her own culture’s eyes.
Jes faces the unique proposition of not only defying cultural stereotypes (for example being called a “paki”) but also by defying her own cultural background. This is an example of a true “outsider” demonstrating not only a resistance to outside influence but also to internal influence as show by her families inability to allow her the room to pursue her ambitions. The film challenges the viewer to not only accept the conflict of the protagonist vs. an opposing culture but also the internal conflicts faced within the culture in which she actually belongs.
This I feel was the central point of the film. We all know that cultures clash, however when there is internal conflict or disconnect of one’s own culture the issues become more interesting. This to me was the most challenging part of the film. It’s easy to see the world as an “Us vs. Them” proposition, however it’s much more subtle and nuanced when it’s an “Us vs. Us” proposition. How does one rectify both the assault to not only society at large but also one’s own cultural identity?
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The film Bend It like Beckam dealt primarily with issues of Insider vs. Outsider as its primary theme. In general it focused on clashes or cultures however the larger theme of “Us vs. Them” is consistent throughout most of the individual narratives and is one which we all have dealt with and related to in our personal lives.
In the film Jes is portrayed as an outsider both through her external cultural influences and more importantly by the influences her family exerts on her to accept and comply with her cultural norms. In a sense, she is an outsider by not only external clashes of culture but by her own identity clashing with her own culture.
Jes enjoys soccer, despite her family’s cultural background where women are frowned upon by engaging in this activity as it’s not proper for women to play sports. She defies her family’s wishes and continues despite their objection. Thus, she has become an outsider in her family’s eyes and by association, her own culture’s eyes.
Jes faces the unique proposition of not only defying cultural stereotypes (for example being called a “paki”) but also by defying her own cultural background. This is an example of a true “outsider” demonstrating not only a resistance to outside influence but also to internal influence as show by her families inability to allow her the room to pursue her ambitions. The film challenges the viewer to not only accept the conflict of the protagonist vs. an opposing culture but also the internal conflicts faced within the culture in which she actually belongs.
This I feel was the central point of the film. We all know that cultures clash, however when there is internal conflict or disconnect of one’s own culture the issues become more interesting. This to me was the most challenging part of the film. It’s easy to see the world as an “Us vs. Them” proposition, however it’s much more subtle and nuanced when it’s an “Us vs. Us” proposition. Jes took great strength from the support of her peers and the inspiration of her personal hero David Beckham. While her own culture was pressuring her to follow in their footsteps, Jes reached beyond her own culture to find sources of inspiration to persevere and follow her dreams. In some sense this is actually a case of using “Them” as a means to transcend “Us”. Where Jes couldn’t find solace internally in her culture she turned to those outside to gather strength. While “Insider Vs. Outsider” was a central theme of the movie, it was more than coincidental that the “Outsider’s” in this case were actually a benefit to her aspirations.
We typically see the world as an “Us Vs. Them” propositions with the assumption being the “Them” is a negative influence. In the case of Jes, however the “Them” actually allowed her to transcend the limitations imposed on her by her own internal cultural influences.
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