MovieChat Forums > Mistral's Daughter (1984) Discussion > Anyone Else Feel Bad for Nadine?

Anyone Else Feel Bad for Nadine?


I sure did. Ok she wasn't exactly a SAINT. She WAS spoiled and stuck up and looked down her nose at Fauve. But she wasn't ALL bad.

If her father had just showed her a LITTLE kindness, she would not have turned out hateful and bitter in the end. And the way Mistral lavished all the attention on Fauve and OPENLY neglected and resented Nadine, is it any WONDER that Nadine hated Fauve?

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I find her a bit more sympathetic than Fauve. I mean, Fauve had a wonderful grandmother who she knew loved her and didn't ignore her, a father who thought she was special and she was very creative and confident. Justine overindulged her daughter while Mistral neglected her and any attention he did give to her seemed to be negative. She was an annoying child and yes, compared to Fauve who was a tomboy and a good kid, her flaws are more magnetized.
However, Nadine didn't look down on Fauve because she was different, but rather due to her mother's behavior towards the other girl. Of course Justine would not have accepted Fauve gracefully due to the fact that she was a product of a love affair between HER husband and the woman whose mother had been in love with the same man and so when she talked horribly in front of Nadine about the situation, the little girl sympathized with her mother.
Let's face it, Justine as much as she was a cow was somewhat more of a parent then Mistral was. It was natural that she take her mom's side. Mistral treated Justine like a monkey and I think compared to how he treated Fauve, he was very mean to his first daughter. I don't think Nadine attacking Fauve was due to her hatred of her but rather because she had been hurt by Mistral so many times that this was another way to hurt his memory, by attacking his favorite daughter,Fauve and the love of his life, Teddy.
I see Mistral's death not only as something evil that spoiled Justine had accomplished to get his money but also something that he is somewhat responsible for. I think if he showed Justine at least half of the affection he showed towards Fauve, she would have had some compassion for her father but he was nothing to her but a paycheck because that is all he ever showed himself to be to her.

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