Q&A: Keira Knightley on Gay Directors, a Lbian Sequel to 'Bend It…

'BEND LIKE BECKHAM' IS THE GAYT LOVE STORY NEVER TOLD

All the while, she is enuraged to follow her passn whout hibn by her narrative foil, teammate and other half of an credibly homoerotic iendship, Jul (Keira Knightley, “Anna Karena”). There is the character of Tony (Ameet Chana, “Unhallowed Ground”) who explicly out as gay, as well as direct referenc to Queerns, like when Jul says, “Beg a lbian isn’t that big of a al.

But the real straw that broke the proverbial gay mel’s back was seeg the elements tied wh a narrative that propos that all the societal l I felt bound by, the very factors that ma me so vehement about clarg I wasn’t like other girls, uld be subverted. As is, gay reprentatn is held up by poor old Tony, the bt iend of lead character Js.

TOKEN GAY OF THE DAY: TONY OM “BEND LIKE BECKHAM”

This queer dg is magnified by their fai’ fears of them never settlg down wh a man, and even outright fears of their child beg gay. The fear that Js’s fay has about her possible homosexualy is more unrstated than that of Jul’ fay, and foc more on the fact that she won’t end up wh a hband rather than the fact that she may end up wh a girl.

Her fay is steeped tradnal Indian culture, and one scene particular highlights the stggl of beg queer an Indian fay, when Tony out as gay to Js. The exchange reveals that to be gay would be unacceptable their fai, and that Js is all too aware of this fact.

But both Js and Tony know there is an expectatn that they marry an Indian person of the oppose genr, and that to e out as gay would e more ser nsequenc even than Js’s fay disverg that she’s datg a whe man.