A person can be both genuinely deceived and somewhat unconsciously resistant to evidence that would disrupt the deception.

The desire to believe can coexist with unease and partial doubt without resolving either into full knowledge or full ignorance.

What makes Carey’s situation particularly complex is that she is not just a victim of Bourdin.

She is also someone whose acceptance of the impersonation enabled it.

Without her identification of “Nicholas” in Spain, without her bringing him home to Texas, the deception would never have progressed to the point it reached.

Her role in the case — as the person who provided the initial validation that everything else built on — is not one she is entirely comfortable with, and the documentary captures her grappling with that discomfort.