Paper Moon: Believe if you want to

 

Paper Moon is one of those movies that definitely took me by surprise. I really didn't think I was going to enjoy it as much as I did. I would even admit that I didn't want it to end. This movie is fairly old as compared to this generation's liking, but I thought that it had a wonderful plot. This movie was set during the Great Depression and featured Moses aka Moze, a con artist, and Addie, an intelligent 9-year-old. I think that we can learn a lot from this movie not only about the harsh living conditions of the Great Depression, but also about aspects of truth and deception as it relates to this course.


On the internet, the movie is referred to as a “symbol of manufactured truth.” Beginning with the title Paper Moon, which can be seen as a play on words emphasizing illusion and willingness to believe. The movie blurs the line between what's reality and what's fake. This begins with the relationship between Moze and Addie. Throughout the entire movie, the audience never finds out if Moze is truly Addie’s biological father, yet the plot is built on a “father-daughter like” connection. In addition, throughout the movie, Addie and Moze's life are built off of blunt deception when selling bibles to the vulnerable women whose husbands had passed away, and the play with money in convenience stores. In addition, the movie highlights the concept of perceived innocence and that appearances could be deceiving. While Moze appears worldly and experienced in deception, Addie uses her seemingly innocent face to manipulate others. 


Although the plot was fun to watch unfold, I think it is important to realize that deception exists around us everywhere we go. Not just with social media and AI, like we've been talking about, but also in our day to day interactions.


Comments

  1. williams.dan76October 7, 2025 at 3:17 PM

    Thanks for your thoughts on Paper Moon. I appreciate your insights and comments on the meaning of a paper moon.

    ReplyDelete

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