This film is part of Rentals
Bend it Like Beckham
Gurinder Chadha’s smash hit about an Asian girl with an undying love for football.
Director: Gurinder Chadha
Overview
Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) is a typical Asian teenager in many senses, aside from her obsession with football, a hobby which offends the sensibilities of her traditional Indian parents. When she's talent-spotted by another local teen, Jules (Keira Knightley), Jess is introduced to the exciting possibilities of both a girls’ football team and its attractive coach, Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). Soon she’s on a collision course with her parents and on the cusp of making some pivotal decisions about her future.
Gurinder Chadha’s irresistibly winning film was a smash hit in its day, striking a chord with audiences for its celebration of football alongside a sensitive culture-clash drama and spiky comedy. Its later adaptation as a hit West End musical is testament to an effortless charm and enduring appeal.
Contains moderate language and sexual references
Related
I, Tonya I, Tonya
Biopic 2017 120 mins Director: Craig Gillespie
Athlete. Champion. Villain. Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) played them all…
Copa 71 Copa 71
Documentary 2023 90 mins Director: Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine
Buried for 50 years, this is the untold story of the 1971 Women’s World Cup – a tremendous, televised rollercoaster ride and a historic moment in football.
The Iron Claw The Iron Claw
Biopic 2023 132 mins Director: Sean Durkin
Zac Efron, Harris Dickinson and Jeremy Allen White lead this brilliant, bruising true story of wrestling glory and family tragedy.
Punch Punch
Drama 2022 99 mins Director: Welby Ings
New Zealand filmmaker Welby Ings’ powerful film is a beautifully shot and moving story about finding queer love and identity in the face of overwhelming odds.
Golden Delicious Golden Delicious
Romance 2022 120 mins Director: Jason Karman
An Asian Canadian teenager grapples with his identity when he falls for the boy next door in this sweet rites-of-passage drama.
Mario Mario
Drama 2018 119 mins Director: Marcel Gisler
On the pitch Mario and Leon are teammates; off the pitch they are becoming so much more.
American Honey American Honey
Drama 2016 163 mins Director: Andrea Arnold
Andrea Arnold dazzles with a sun-soaked and tune-filled epic about door-to-door teenage magazine sellers (led by Shia LeBeouf) traversing the American highways.
Girlhood Girlhood
Drama 2014 113 mins Director: Céline Sciamma
In the tough suburbs of Paris, sixteen-year-old Marieme decides to reinvent herself when she joins a girl gang.
Fish Tank Fish Tank
Drama 2009 118 mins Director: Andrea Arnold
Andrea Arnold's BAFTA winner and coming-of-age story starring newcomer Katie Jarvis as disaffected teen Mia and Michael Fassbender in one of his earliest film roles.
Summer 1993 Summer 1993
Drama 2017 98 mins Director: Carla Simón
An outstanding debut feature charting the emotional journey of a six-year old girl in the aftermath of her mother’s death in early 1990s Spain.
The Ciambra The Ciambra
Drama 2017 118 mins Director: Jonas Carpignano
A boy's life on the mean streets of a cloistered Calabrian community is captured in eye-opening realism, in this stunning work from the director of Mediterranea.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Drama 2018 92 mins Director: Desiree Akhavan
Chloë Grace Moretz is the girl who finds her tribe with fellow ‘sinners’ at a religious camp where they are told to pray the gay away.
Official Secrets Official Secrets
Thriller 2018 112 mins Director: Gavin Hood
Gripping political thriller with Keira Knightley as the intelligence officer who discovers a plot to rig a UN vote on the eve of the Iraq war.
Colette Colette
Biopic 2019 112 mins Director: Wash Westmoreland
This witty, Belle Époque-era biopic stars Keira Knightley and Dominic West as literary couple Colette and Willy, whose relationship rewrote social and gender rules.
The Imitation Game The Imitation Game
Biopic 2014 115 mins Director: Morten Tyldum
Benedict Cumberbatch’s roundly acclaimed performance anchors the incredible, Oscar-winning story of code-breaker Alan Turing.
Blinded by the Light Blinded by the Light
Comedy 2019 118 mins Director: Gurinder Chadha
In 1987 during the austere days of Thatcher's Britain, a teenager learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen.
Bhaji on the Beach Bhaji on the Beach
Comedy 1994 101 mins Director: Gurinder Chadha
Gurinder Chadha's charming and critically acclaimed comedy about a group of British Asian women from Birmingham who bond during a day-trip to Blackpool.
Barrio Boy Barrio Boy
Romance 2022 83 mins Director: Dennis Shinners
A Latino barber embarks on an erotically charged odyssey of self-discovery over one hot summer in Brooklyn.
Small Things Like These Small Things Like These
Drama 2024 99 mins Director: Tim Mielants
Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as a coal merchant who discovers horrific secrets about his local convent.
Rafiki Rafiki
Drama 2018 83 mins Director: Wanuri Kahiu
Romantic sparks fly between the daughters of two opposing politicians in Wanuri Kahiu’s neon-bright story of forbidden love in Kenya.
Luxor Luxor
Romance 2020 86 mins Director: Zeina Durra
Andrea Riseborough stars as an aid worker processing the trauma of working on the frontline on the Jordanian-Syrian border.
Who We Love Who We Love
Drama 2021 94 mins Director: Graham Cantwell
Bullied for her sexuality, Dublin schoolgirl Lily turns to her gay best friend for support in this vibrant coming-out, coming-of-age drama.
2073 2073
Documentary 2024 83 mins Director: Asif Kapadia
Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia's unsettling drama-documentary delivers a powerful commentary on the state of the world today… and tomorrow.