Mighty Fine

Set in the 1970’s, MIGHTY FINE is the story of Joe Fine a charismatic, high-spirited man, who relocates his family—wife Stella (Andie MacDowell), daughters Nathalie (Jodelle Ferland) and Maddie (Rainey Qualley)—from Brooklyn to New Orleans, in search of a better life. Joe’s devotion to his family knows no bounds, and he seeks to provide them with the ultimate in the good life, from a palatial home to a steady string of extravagant gifts. Unfortunately, Joe’s spending spree is wildly out of touch with reality, as his apparel business is teetering on the brink of collapse, a fact he refuses to accept.

On the surface Joe is a charmer with a king-sized personality, but underneath he is possessed by a deep-rooted anger which he frequently turns on the family he loves. An emotional powder keg ready to explode at any instant, Joe holds his wife and daughters captive to his unpredictable mood swings.
The largest part of his fury is directed at Maddie, who is sixteen and beginning to show signs of both an emerging sexuality and a willingness to challenge his authority. Stella, a holocaust survivor and no stranger to victimization, and younger sister Nathalie, an aspiring poet, appear to be more forgiving of his “fits,” but they feel the impact of Joe’s emotional abuse as much as Maddie does: Stella is paralyzed by the conflict between supporting her husband and safeguarding her daughters, and Nathalie’s internalization of her father’s anger makes her painfully shy, impeding her dreams of becoming a poet.

Written and directed by Debbie Goodstein, MIGHTY FINE is told from the perspective of an adult Nathalie remembering the events of her youth, and is inspired by Goodstein’s memories of her own father and other similarly troubled men. The film is an exploration of the fears and confusion that caused men of Joe’s generation to act out in destructive ways they didn’t understand. While its story of a family in crisis doesn’t soft-pedal harsh truths, MIGHTY FINE ultimately shows how coming to terms with the past without judgment is the most fruitful way to move toward the future.