MovieChat Forums > Marnie (1964) Discussion > Jessie and the other kids **spoilers**

Jessie and the other kids spoilers

posted 9 years ago by moviebuf-11
2 replies | jump to latest

I'm a huge Hitchcock fan and have seen most of his films, but tonight I watched "Marnie" for the first time. I can't decide if I liked it or not because I wasn't really prepared for it to be as disturbing as it was. I had heard it was about a beautiful woman who was a kleptomaniac, so I was expecting more of a crime caper than a dark psychological story.

Anyway, one thing that I don't quite get is the dynamic of Marnie's relationship with the little neighbor girl Jessie. It's clear that there is tension and animosity between them as soon as Jessie opens the door. I get that Marnie is jealous that her mother shows Jessie the caring and affection that Marnie desperately wanted from her, but I don't get Jessie's demeanor. Why would a neighbor kid be sassy to the adult daughter of the woman who is babysitting you? It was weird how Jessie almost taunted Marnie about how the mother is baking HER a pie, loves to brush HER hair, etc. And the other girls playing outside seemed to stare at Marnie like she was a pariah. Why? Nobody knew her "secret."

Also, are we to assume that after "the incident" Marnie and her mother moved to a new place where nobody knew them and started new lives, or that they still lived in the same place and everybody knew the mother's version of what happened?

[–] kaskait 9 years ago

Jessie is a really bratty, smart, know it all kid. She likes the attention that Marnie's mother gives to her. Especially since her own mother works all the time.

She is also very jealous of Marnie. She is aware that there is tension between Marnie and her mother. She knows she is in the way. So she does what most bratty kids would do, rub it in.

If Jessie can't get Marnie to admire her and fuss over her, she'll annoy the hell out of her instead. Marnie should have just ignored her. Her rising to the kid's bait every time just kept making the situation worse.

[–] liscarkat-2 7 years ago

Jessie is a horrid child who should be punished severely, and often.