How is Britain portrayed in Bend it like Beckham, Made in Dagenham and Fish tank?

 These three films all differ greatly in the way that Britain is portrayed through the different periods of time and class divisions in society. The representations show a range of views on British life, from showing Britain in its most positive light (The British women standing up for their rights in Made in Dagenham) to the negative and difficult life lead my council house and verbally abused Mia in Fish Tank. Bend it like Beckham clearly shows the contrasting views and idea of the different cultures as well how different generations of people behave to contrast to the last.

British youth is a topic that is touched on or strongly addressed in all three of these films. Bend it like Beckham, which is set in 2005 and is modern to the time it was made, shows the youth in mostly a good light as it follows Jess’ journey to follow her dreams despite her family being against her. Jess is a strong female protagonist and having grown up in a traditional Sikh family in Hounslow, she struggles between maintaining her roots and keeping up with the modern culture of British teenagers. Jess is strong minded and determined, and although the audience is always on her side throughout the film, she is also seen to lie to her parents and go behind their backs. Also, the other three Asian girls that where shorts skirts and crop tops portray a less positive few of British teenagers as they boast about having ‘slept with half of Hounslow. This portrayal is also seen in Fish Tank, although to a much bigger extreme. Mia, who grew up in a council estate is the protagonist in this film and although the teenage girl is out of control, the audience cannot help but feel that this is not her fault but the fault of the society she was born into and her careless mother. Therefore, Mia and her family seemed to be an under class of people, who were also looked down upon. She is assumed to be a ‘chav’ by the way she dresses, her haircut and the language and accent she has. She is rude and defensive, using swear words in everyday conversation, even to her younger sister. The portrayal of the lowest class of British youth is clearly negative, yet is true to real life and the film is meant to be an eye opener into the lives of these girls. This also strongly contradicts the positive and strong-minded middle class Jess, both films being set around the same time and in different parts of London.

Religion and culture is an important aspect of Bend it like Beckham as Jess is torn between her own Indian culture and British culture. She is often seen lying on her bed, talking to a poster of David Beckham and it is as though football is her religion. There is also a picture of Guru nanak, to which Jess’ mother prays and talks to. Their culture is important to Jess’ family, though Jess’ generation seems to rely less on religion as a result of the mixed culture she lives in Britain. Religion doesn’t seem to play a huge part in either Made in Dagenham or Fish Tank, which shows how some white families in Britian were not guided by any religion. In Made in Dagenham it is as though their work ethic is what keeps them going and in Fish Tank, the family seem to be off the rails with little sense of morals.  

Women in Britain are represented in very different ways in the three British films. Made in Dagenham and Bend it like Beckham both show working class and middle class women that are strong minded and have clear views on how women should behave and be treated. In Made in Dagenham, Rita and the machinists are fighting for equal pay to men as they believe that the current pay system was unfair and that they worked just as hard as men. She doesn’t let anyone stop her or get in the way, even her husband who doesn’t understand her campaign. In the time the film was set, women were thought of as second class and had traditional roles of looking after the house and the children, only Rita does all of this as well as working in the sewing factory. She is seen as the hero of the film based on real events and the message of the film is that the British woman could achieve anything if she really tried and bring about a huge change to the world. Similarly in Bend it like Beckham, Jess is the strong women who achieves her dreams against all odds. In both films, the women have people working against them, for example the bosses of Ford and Jess’ mom, who are more traditional in their views and want the heroines to obey by their original cultures and values. In the end, the women in both films succeed in their struggle, portraying British women in a positive light. This view of women in Britain strongly contradicts the portrayal of women in Fish Tank. This lower class of women appear to have little morals and instead of working hard at a job to gain respect, they live on benefits and in a council house, going out in short skirts and crop tops. Mias mother is more interested in her own life and relationships than she is about her own daughters. This shows british women in a negative way and starkly contrasts the respectable women in Made in Dagenham and Bend it like Beckham.

The strong work ethic among the women in Made in Dagenham makes women proud to be women and proud to be British. It is a feel good film based on real events and the audience feel proud of the women and everything they achieve for the generations to come. These women shaped the way women are perceived and treated in our world today, yet the very different images of women in Fish tank seem to be working against what the women at the Ford factory had achieved. The way the modern lower class of women behave and dress means that it is easier for men to disrespect them and their lack of education and knowledge brings the view of women back to how it had been before Made in Dagenham. Therefore, these very different portrayals are important ad they show a very positive and a very negative view on the work ethic of people in Britain. In make in Dagenham, the men in the factory were traumatised by the fact they couldn’t work and it was as though they didn’t know what to do with themselves, demonstrating how they had been working all their life. In Bend it like Beckham, Jess’ dad encourages her to be a doctor or a lawyer and has high hopes for his daughter career wise. She doesn’t share these hopes however as she longs to work hard at her football career, finally convincing her father to allow her to go to America. This feel good film also makes you proud to be British and the audience want Jess to succeed in her plans for making it big in football.

Another contrasting aspect of British life is the family relationships within the three films. Fish Tank seems to be the family with the worst relationship and it is debateable whether they could be considered a family at all. The mother is very young and doesn’t seem to be ready for children, still wanting to go out and not have the responsibilities. In this film, it is as though the roles are reversed and although Mia is very naïve, she seems to be more responsible that her mother and acts more like a parent to her younger sister, as it shows at the end. Mia and her sister seem unable to tell each other they love them, and cover it up by saying ‘I hate you’. This is a touching moment in the film and probably the only time in the film that is happy, even though they are indirectly saying ‘I love you.’ The reverse roles in the family also appears in Bend it like Beckham, where Jess seems to understand the modern world and is a lot more open than her parents are. They are strict and want her to conform to Indian traditions and although they love her, they are stopping her from achieving her dreams. Just like Jules’ mum, who doesn’t like her playing football. In both families, it is the mother who remains the same throughout and the fathers who understand their daughters the best. To Jess’ family, reputation is very important and this plays a huge role in their dismay that their daughter is more interested in playing football than learning to cook. Made in Dagenham shows tradition family dynamics, with the mother looking after the house and children and father out at work. This is very typical of the time the film is set. However, when the father is made to stay at home, he struggles and this is symbolic of the importance of women in the family. It is Rita that holds their family together.