days six and seven of favorite fictional female characters
Next up in the round of favorite fictional females: two daughters of immigrants, in movies made by daughters of immigrants. Huh, both of these movies came out in 2002. Interesting.
Anyway, I'm sure I've mentioned before that I love the theme of the outsider in fiction. Both of these movies capitalize on that, and on family love and how to define yourself when what you see doesn't fit what you think your parents want.
Y'all, I love Bend It Like Beckham, even though I had to watch with the subtitles on a couple of times to catch some of the British slang (and the Punjabi as well, although reading the subtitles didn't help much, other than distinguishing those words from English at times).
Jesminder ("Jess") Bamra is the 'good' daughter to her parents; she works hard in school and is prepared to move forward, perhaps to become a barrister... and then she finds that her passion, football (soccer), can be more than just something to play in the park with her male friends. That changes everything for her. Seeing how she tries to negotiate parental expectations, personal aspirations, friendship and romance is a delight.
Something I particularly like about Jess: she tries different routes to get what she wants, including deception, but she finally stands up for herself in this heartfelt speech near the end.
There was a scout from America there today [at the game], and he's offered me a place at a top university, with a free scholarship and a chance to play football professionally, and I really want to go, and if I can't tell you what I want now, then I'll never be happy, whatever I do.
(spoiler alert: she gets her way!)
I've talked about Toula and My Big Fat Greek Wedding before, but that's okay. She's still a favorite character of mine.
Toula first appears onscreen during a rainy drive to the family-owned restaurant. The weather is drab. She looks drab and unhappy. Here's the awesome part: even though we're introduced to Ian Miller, the male love interest early on, he doesn't play a part in why Toula decides to change herself and seek her own happiness. He's back offscreen until after she's taken several steps toward becoming the person she wants to be. I'm all for compromise and supportive romantic partners, but since that relationship hadn't started, I would really have disliked it if Toula had changed herself to fit someone else's potential expectations.
Toula's ambitions include computer classes and eventually working for/taking over her aunt's travel agency. She and her mother plan together to make this happen--a major part of the plot early in the film. After she's established herself and blossoms in her new job, Toula meets Ian again. At this point the plot evolves to include the difficulties of a non-Greek partner in a very Greek family. I don't really have a lot ot say about it; it's silly and comical and very much a typical romantic comedy. But by this point Toula's happiness is the goal of anyone who doesn't have a heart of stone, so it's still watchable.
Posted at Dreamwidth: http://rose-griffes.dreamwidth.org/185428.html. Comment where you wish.
Anyway, I'm sure I've mentioned before that I love the theme of the outsider in fiction. Both of these movies capitalize on that, and on family love and how to define yourself when what you see doesn't fit what you think your parents want.
Y'all, I love Bend It Like Beckham, even though I had to watch with the subtitles on a couple of times to catch some of the British slang (and the Punjabi as well, although reading the subtitles didn't help much, other than distinguishing those words from English at times).
Jesminder ("Jess") Bamra is the 'good' daughter to her parents; she works hard in school and is prepared to move forward, perhaps to become a barrister... and then she finds that her passion, football (soccer), can be more than just something to play in the park with her male friends. That changes everything for her. Seeing how she tries to negotiate parental expectations, personal aspirations, friendship and romance is a delight.
Something I particularly like about Jess: she tries different routes to get what she wants, including deception, but she finally stands up for herself in this heartfelt speech near the end.
There was a scout from America there today [at the game], and he's offered me a place at a top university, with a free scholarship and a chance to play football professionally, and I really want to go, and if I can't tell you what I want now, then I'll never be happy, whatever I do.
(spoiler alert: she gets her way!)
I've talked about Toula and My Big Fat Greek Wedding before, but that's okay. She's still a favorite character of mine.
Toula first appears onscreen during a rainy drive to the family-owned restaurant. The weather is drab. She looks drab and unhappy. Here's the awesome part: even though we're introduced to Ian Miller, the male love interest early on, he doesn't play a part in why Toula decides to change herself and seek her own happiness. He's back offscreen until after she's taken several steps toward becoming the person she wants to be. I'm all for compromise and supportive romantic partners, but since that relationship hadn't started, I would really have disliked it if Toula had changed herself to fit someone else's potential expectations.
Toula's ambitions include computer classes and eventually working for/taking over her aunt's travel agency. She and her mother plan together to make this happen--a major part of the plot early in the film. After she's established herself and blossoms in her new job, Toula meets Ian again. At this point the plot evolves to include the difficulties of a non-Greek partner in a very Greek family. I don't really have a lot ot say about it; it's silly and comical and very much a typical romantic comedy. But by this point Toula's happiness is the goal of anyone who doesn't have a heart of stone, so it's still watchable.
Posted at Dreamwidth: http://rose-griffes.dreamwidth.org/185428.html. Comment where you wish.