Was the story about Jonas being abandoned true, or is a story he made up? The reason I think it might just be a story is because when he is looking in the metal box for the paints, he pulls out a photo of a woman named "Madam Zelda" or something like that. She has a small boy sitting on her lap. I was thinking that maybe he just made that story up and his mom did not abandon him. They were some type of con artist mind reading act together.
shareI thought it was a real story, his mom was in show business too.And telling people things they wanted to hear. Probably one reason he got in to it. They say theres a sucker born every minute. Don't you remember what he said to the boy? just because some one doesn't show up doesn't mean they don't care. And his friend knew the story why would he lie to her?
shareI thought he might have lied just because the story about being abandoned sounded better than growing up with his mom and conning people. It made him sound more exotic maybe.
shareI thought the idea was that it was true and that he had told the Debra Winger character because she was the one person he didn't deceive and was genuinely close to. His mother's betrayal of him led to his being unable to connect to people and instead to see them as a source of income for him.
shareI took it to have been told as the truth. I didn't see anything in the movie that would lead me to believe otherwise. IF'n it was a lie, the movie failed to bring that out as would be needed for it to be a useful lie.
my god its full of stars
Did Jonas ever tell that story or was it only Jane who told that story? That could easily be made-up bullsh^t because that's the kind of thing she would need to hear to stay with him and look after him. Jonas was a master manipulator. Making himself look abandoned and vulnerable would be just the story he would tell her to keep her around; i.e. she could never leave Jonas because his mom abandoned him.
Yeah, he might have been abandoned. he might have just been carnival-folk and raised by the carny community. Jonas tells just enough truth to make his lies sound truthful. There's no reason to believe his story. Not one.
But if you think he's the genuine article and you got your money's worth, than by all means- pay the dancing bear.
Sucker.
My "3" key is broken so I'm putting one here so i can cut & paste with it.
No. It's a fictional story, and none of the events that you see or hear about are real; neither is Jonas.
shareI think it was true based on the way it was told.
shareDude, did you miss the entire scene of Jonah venting in private to the big crucifix after Boyd got healed?
The guy was SEETHING, unable to control himself anymore. All that "true gospel" that came out of him (saying how love never started, how meek get screwed and no one is innocent) felt 100% true (there was no audience to con).
It makes sense that his being abandoned story was 100% true, and he clearly resents God for it (parents are our closest image/example of God).
Meaning if God truly cares (enough to heal Boyd), why was he deaf to Jonah's pain when he needed help the most and did not receive it?
Better to think God doesn't exist and put it past you than to realize he does exist, and you were rather ignored, made to suffer in vain. That is the gist of his rage at that point.
Al's got it right on the money. That part of his life is likely to be true, because the best lies have a kernel of truth in them. Also, that is my favorite scene in the entire film.
share