MovieChat Forums > De rouille et d'os (2012) Discussion > Response to those confused by her suppor...

Response to those confused by her supporting his fights

posted 11 years ago by take_exit3
6 replies | jump to latest

For all of you that keep asking why she is so supportive of his fighting or why she "likes" him fighting, it's not that she likes it at all. In fact, she seems to show quite clearly when he first brings it up that she is against it. So much so that she offers to pay him the money that he would earn in the fight. She merely accepts it once she realizes there is no changing his mind and that he actually enjoys it. She accepts it as just being who he is just like he is accepting of her new handicap. They do not try to change each other and this is what makes their bond so strong.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 11 years ago

They do not try to change each other and this is what makes their bond so strong.

This is a good point especially in light of the comments another poster made about Stephanie here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2053425/board/nest/206547413?d=207408962#2 07408962

I'm not so sure that she didn't enjoy the fighting in terms of the adrenaline rush and role of a manager. Initially she might not have liked the idea but she seemed enthralled when she attended and later wanted to be able to leave the van and join with the audience.

Away with the manners of withered virgins

[–] andreacamillas 11 years ago

The one time she left the car, it looked like he was going to be beaten. She got out, he saw her 'legs', he would not let himself give up/be beaten. Before thatit looked like he would give up. Remember in the car he did not feel that he was any match for his opponent? Mind over matter.

I believed she was actually returning the favour. He wouldn't let her give up when he first saw her after she lost half her legs, he treated her normally, he left her and went for a swim, and when she did swim - he left her in the water. While others pitied her, he acted as though she was fine. He gave her strength. She reminded him of that during his fight against such a formidable opponent.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 11 years ago

She expressed her wish to leave the van before that incident and was told she could not. When she saw Ali on the verge of being beaten she ignored that previous warning and left the van. She may have been returning the favour then but her wish to be part of the audience before this point was not for him but her.

Away with the manners of withered virgins

[–] DjMethod 11 years ago

They do not try to change each other and this is what makes their bond so strong.

So it is not so much a gesture of support as it is a sign of acceptance. I can see that.

I remembered her initial resistance as well but interpreted the turn of character as a change of mind. The acceptance take does make that wonderful connection of not changing one another, as well as adding to the hopelessness of Ali's flaws, which we've discussed in the thread I posted.

On one hand, she is reciprocally accepting him for who he is, "seeing through" his ugly exterior. On the other hand, she is accepting quite a different type of flaw--one of behavior, not physical disability. It is something she disagrees with, thus it can be seen as her "giving up" on him or abandoning her morals as opposed to her physical preference. This is a much bigger sacrifice imo.

Continuing that train of thought, however, her acceptance can be lumped into her passive approach in putting up with his persistence to keep his boundaries up. This passive approach in general is what allows Ali to "come to" on his own and realize from within that he cannot go on with these boundaries in place.
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[–] usernumber655321 11 years ago

I think you're confusing "confused" with unwilling to fall for cheap sentimentality. This film is contrived, and oh so 'French', sap.

[–] prplayer 8 years ago

spot on, this is about people accepting each other's flaws

so many movies, so little time