MQFF Presents: Midsumma Movies - Bend It Like Beckham
In the wake of the Matildas-mania that so enraptured so many of us during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, it’s high time to celebrate the 21st birthday of a soccer-centric classic long beloved of the greatly overlapping LGBTQIA+ and women’s football communities.
During the summer before she’s due to commence university, Londoner Jesminder "Jess" Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) sneaks out of home to play soccer with local boys in wholehearted defiance of her Punjabi Sikh family’s wishes. Tomboy Jules (Keira Knightley, in her breakout role) catches sight of her and ushers her into an amateur women's football team. Complications ensue upon their both crushing on their coach, Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), while Jess’s worried mother starts to wonder whether Jess and Jules mightn’t instead have the hots for one another – something queer audiences have been contemplating from the very moment this winning culture-clash comedy-drama was released!
“IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SEXUAL AWAKENING OF MANY YOUNG GAYS (AFTER ALL, AN OBSESSION WITH KEIRA KNIGHTLY IS A UNIVERSAL GAY EXPERIENCE)” – ELLA PORTEOUS, DIVA
2002, UK, Germany, USA, 112 mins, PG
Dir: Gurinder Chadha
Courtesy: Dendy/Icon
