Play It Like Beckham, The Struggle For Integration
We live in an increasingly dispersed world, where cultural differences are blurred, and therefore we must make an effort to reconcile the small differences that may arise, in order to seek balance and mutual learning between cultures. Play it like Beckham is an example of this integration of cultures and how our societies change over time.
Play It Like Beckham is a British film released in theaters in 2002 and directed by British director Gurinder Chadha of Indian origin. Throughout his career, Gurinder Chadha has tried to capture in his films and documentaries the cultural diversity that exists in Europe. Most, based on their own experience, attempt to reconcile what it means to be both British and Indian, as happens in Play It Like Beckham .
It seemed until recently that the cinema, especially the direction, was intended exclusively for white men; even today, few women belong to this world. Gurinder Chadha is female and, moreover, Indian and British. Play it like Beckham is not only a story of contrasts and reconciliation between cultures, it is also a story of women in a world where their presence is relegated to the background: football.
Play it like Beckham isn’t a complicated story, it’s straightforward, entertaining, and enjoyable. It has the typical ingredients of romantic comedy, it makes fun of stereotypes and, at the same time, paints a portrait of the new generations whose culture is not one, but a fusion of several.
These cultural differences will give rise to some somewhat comical situations, especially from Jules’ mother, who believes she is an open and modern woman, but systematically resorts to stereotypes when she tries to strike up a conversation with Jess. Both Jess and Jules will have to face their environment and their families to achieve their dream and be able to become professional footballers. Football will ultimately unite these two young girls and will reconcile the two cultures.
Football as a common ground
Sport should be used to make differences disappear and to unite people, although, unfortunately, this is not always the case. In Play It Like Beckham , we’ll see that sport is the bond between Jules and Jess, but we’ll also observe a less pleasant face from the latter.
Football is a sport capable of paralyzing an entire country, of mobilizing countless people… Although this only happens when we speak of men’s football. Women’s football, unfortunately, remains very little known to the vast majority of the population, it hardly appears in the media, if a World Cup is organized we are not even informed, the salary difference is totally exorbitant … In short , we know more about the men’s second division teams than the women’s teams playing in the first division.
This is something that the protagonists of the film will have to contend with who, besides having to face their families, must strive to be respected in a predominantly male sport where they are hardly taken seriously. Many scenes invite us to think about the objectification of women and the role we assign to them in sport, as it seems that women can only stand out in synchronized swimming or rhythmic gymnastics.
