Paper Moon
a nice movie, and i mean to be slightly belittling in saying so. the first scene has this strange, almost surreal feel to it that made me think i was in for something semi-novel. it quickly becomes very hollywood. 1940s-50s hollywood. and it seems like the film is going for that feel. B&W, conventionally shot, over acted, grounded in plot and rhetorical devices. like creating a film about the depression era in typical 70s film fashion would have been absurd. if that's the case, it falls slightly short of achieving mastery of form, but it's a lot better than most of midcentury hollywood's white bread cannon.
it is feel-good. the chemistry between the film's duo is textured and pleasant. surely in part because they are played by an actual father and daughter. conventionally shot does not mean the film completely lacks aesthetic appeal. far from. the little actress can flick a match with her thumb and repeatedly inhale a cigarette without a cough like she really is from the 30s--the making for some cool shots that bring sally mann to mind. the focus on bare, impoverished american landscapes adds to all that; unlike many of the movies it feels so much like, they were out of the studio and on location for this one, benefiting the film significantly.