MovieChat Forums > Rosetta (1999) Discussion > Her stomach pain

Her stomach pain

posted 19 years ago by brfluc-1
25 replies | jump to latest

I have just finished watching this movie for the 4th time and I still can't figure out what her abdominal pain is. I know, in one of the first scenes with her mom, her mother tries to discuss the common pain that she shared too, but Rosetta won't listen. I thought maybe it was, "her time", but unless the movie plays for months, that can't be possible. Then, being a sufferer myself, I thought maybe it was an ulcer. I know the pain; right at the bellybutton and it can be so intense when upset or stressed. Does anyone know?

[–] PVarjak 19 years ago

I didn't get this either. And why would a hairdryer help her?

[–] LuciaJoyce 19 years ago

I thought it was "her time." Speaking for myself, heat is a great help. And, keeping with our codewords, it was actually be pre-"her time" (PMS), which would explain some of her actions, plus the timeline (I think the whole movie takes place in not more than a week).

[–] PVarjak 19 years ago

You make a good point about the timeline. I kept going back and forth between thinking it was about a week or two to longer (a month?). Her mother seems to disappear for what seems like a long time. There's a shot near the end of the film where they almost purposefully show how much of her dyed hair has grown out (2 inches or so), which would indicate a longer period of time.

I loved the movie, but maybe I'm not sharp enough to get all of the pieces of info the first time around. I've taped it, so I am going to watch it again soon.

I hope that Sundance Channel brings the Dardennes' "Le Fils" and "L'Enfant" to their programming soon.

[–] quaddo 19 years ago

It could be PMS, but I always thought she suffered from some type of illness.
Like a peptic ulcer or similar....
However, I don't know if heat can subdue the pain of that....

WYSYHYG

[–] mstoneic 18 years ago

I think its an ulcer. And the hairdryer is like a homespun cure, an application of warmth.

[–] bunnywithanaxe 18 years ago

Whatever the source of a cramp, a heat compress will help ease the pain. (An ulcer, though?)

[–] edesir-1 18 years ago

Maybe it's hunger pain or the fishes from the swamp/cespool she's eating :)

[–] rowat 18 years ago

never thought about it being menstrual pains! I just saw the film -which was excellent, my "gut feeling" was that it was in some way related to the drinking water from the caravan site and those scrawny looking fishes she may be eating...

[–] YouKnowMyName68 18 years ago

When she fell in the lake(?) in the scene with her mother running away she yells to her that it is muddy. It's the same spot where she is fishing and who knows what kind of parasites those fish may be carrying that she is dining on. I know, that they probably would know about deparasiting fish. But still....

[–] MissRaedeLarge 18 years ago

I thought it perhaps having to do with her menstrual cycle, having been told that cramps can be subsided with heat on the area.

Miss Jean Louise, Mister Arthur Radley. I believe he already knows you.

[–] Local Hero 18 years ago

When I watched, I mostly assumed it was menstrual cramps, but other possibilities floated through my mind, most of them mentioned-- an ulcer, parasites-- some of them not -- stomach cancer, gastroentiritis.

Having said all that, the stomach illness is one of several areas left blank by the writers: we are not told. In fact, I have read that in interview the actor and creators gave differing answers to fill in these blanks (the stomach illness, the identity of Rosetta's father, the meaning of the film's ending).

[–] thefireherself 18 years ago

it could be an abdominal migraine. this is a condition which is predominantly psychosematic and associated with stress/anxiety disorders.

[–] Lu_tz 18 years ago

Its funny, I came right over here after finishing the movie to ask about the stomach pain and there is already a thread! I wasn't sure either but I thought the same as some of the other posters PMT or hunger/malnutrition as she seems to eat nothing asides from waffles and sugar.

[–] frogman_17 17 years ago

It might also be a hernia b/c of all the heavy lifting she does w/ the gas tanks and flour and whatever else before.

[–] adrian_minty 17 years ago

All those are good reasons but bear in mind her mother also (from what we gather) had the same "illness" making us think it could be either a hereditary problem or menstrual cramps. Pains with regards diet, or lack there of, can also be a reason, since the mother and her share the same living conditions.
With regards her eating the fish..there was no evidence in the film showing her actually keeping the fish..in both cases, i believe, they were thrown back.

[–] JaneSchmo 17 years ago

Ulcer. All the reviews I've read ID it as an ulcer.

It would make sense as they are linked to bacterial infection AND stress.

[–] Weir80 16 years ago

Irritable bowel syndrome, maybe? It comes and goes quickly, just like it seems to happen to Rosetta, the discomfort can be attenuated with heat and it is often associated with stress and anxiety.

[–] ramis666 15 years ago

Appendicitis?

[–] quaddo 15 years ago

It is hardly appendicitis because if left untreated, it'll kill you quite quickly...

RIP Ian Richardson (1934-2007)

[–] couzijn 13 years ago

Of course there is no such thing as what actually *was* causing the pain, because this is a fictional story and answers to such questions are in no 'answer book'. So there is no way to *know* what the pain caused. There is just our interpretation of it, and our arguments for our interpretation.

For me, the abdominal pain is definitely menstrual in nature. That is because I regard it as a symbol, or analogy, of the intimate pains and stress that Rosetta needs to endure in her life. She is alone, lonely, and has to deal with all psychological and physical worries life brings her. In a normal family life, daughters can communicate with their parents about what is bothering them, receive advice etc. Particularly with their mother about problems that come with womanhood.

But Rosetta shuts off such essential, intimate communication with her mother, because she feels her mother is unable to support her. Even about menstrual pains, which are in any way a natural part of life (not diseases), Rosetta cannot talk with her mother. For me that underlines her tragedy. And her mother's tragedy, too.

[–] masuka-fan 12 years ago

I just watched the interview with Emily on the Criterion disc and she says that when she was preparing for the role with her "mother", they made up stories about her stomach pain. I think it was probably stress combined with not eating right, but it can be whatever works for you.

"Passion is just insanity in a cashmere sweater!"