cultural conflict presented. The low angle of Jesminder’s mother captures the Indian God looking down over her. She cannot escape her family and their culture. The high angle shot of Jesminder shows that her parents are disappointed with her and are looking down on her for disrespecting her culture. Close up shots display Jesminder’s concern about disappointing her parents, and her parent’s anger about Jesminder letting them and the Sikh culture down. The director uses costumes in a way that represents the character’s’ mood and connects it to an activity. Jesminder’s face is lit up with a big smile whenever she is wearing her soccer jersey. The audience is able to see Jesminder’s big smile in the close up shots. Close up shots show the misery in Jesminder’s sad eyes whenever she is wearing her sari. Jesminder uses soccer as a way to accept her new culture. When she wins the final game, she combines her two cultures by wearing her sari with a smile on her face. In the locker room, the audience sees Jesminder in her sari and her teammates in their jerseys. This scene shows the ultimate contrast between her two lives because we see Jesminder and her parents in a civil place of agreement. (Chadha)

Bend It Like Beckham captures the life of young girl with the desire to fulfill her dreams, but also the desire to please her parents. Bend It Like Beckham exemplifies the challenges that young women with cultural restrictions face. The challenges in Bend It Like Beckham are presented in the way that still allows the audience to connect with Jesminder’s experiences despite being held back by their own family tradition. Through Jesminder’s willpower and desire to succeed, the audience learns to never give up on their dreams because hard work pays off. (Chadha) Jesminder idolizes David Beckham; his success gave her the motivation to work hard and follow her dream of playing soccer. “‘Nobody can bend it like Beckham,’ she beams, referring to his extraordinary ability to warp space in order to get the ball to the goal.” (Fuchs) The movie shows how overcoming challenges and life experiences really shape a person. Bend It Like Beckham beams positive energy; the cast is to credit for the excitement that the movie brings to the audience. “British import Bend It Like Beckham encourages moviegoers to chase after whatever that thing happens to be with zest and passion.” (Isaac)

The Namesake, a book written by Jhumpa Lahiri, and Bend It Like Beckham, a movie directed by Gurinder Chadha, display cultural impact on young girls. The culture one associates themselves with does not change who they are as a person, but can cause conflict. Gogol Ganguli and Jesminder Bhamra are torn between two cultures; they both conform to their new society, but still have the desire to please their parents. Gogol struggles with his identity because of his given name and his lack of knowledge about his name’s significance. Jesminder struggles with her identity because she has dedicated herself to a soccer team, but has to please her parents and stay loyal to her Indian culture at home. Jesminder has two different identities, one with her soccer team and another with her family. Jhumpa Lahiri’s use of detail indulges the readers in the emotions of the characters. Her manipulation of the narration helps the reader to experience the full story with the characters. Gurinder Chadha’s use of different shots and angles engages the viewers, while also making them feel related to the characters. As Albert Einstei