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Frederic Bourdin, Carey Gibson, Beverly Dollarhide, Charlie Parker, Nancy Fisher ... see more see more... , Bruce Perry , Philip French , Adam O'Brian , Anna Ruben , Cathy Dresbach , Alan Teichman , Iván Villanueva , Maria Jesus Hoyos , Anthony Zanlungo

Nicholas was 13 the day he disappeared (June 13, 1994). He would have been 16 and 8 months when he was reported found in Spain (October 7, 1997)... In 1994 a 13-year-old boy disappears without a trace... read more read more... from San Antonio, Texas. Three and a half years later he is found alive, thousands of miles away in a village in southern Spain with a story of kidnap and torture. His family is overjoyed to bring him home. But all is not quite as it seems. The boy bears many of the same distinguishing marks he always had, but why does he now have a strange accent? Why does he look so different? And why doesn't the family seem to notice these glaring inconsistencies? It's only when an investigator starts asking questions that this strange tale takes an even stranger turn... -- (C) Indomina

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79% liked it

87,679 ratings

Critics

95% liked it

108 critics

R, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Bart Layton

Release Date: July 13, 2012

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DVD Release Date: January 22, 2013

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Flixster Reviews (957)

  • fb634552688
    February 20, 2013
    fb634552688
    A true crime story with so many twists and turns you might think it was scripted. Well executed documentary that does its best to take an objective point of view, and leave the decision-making to the viewer.
  • fb619846742
    January 31, 2013
    fb619846742
    An unsettling, almost unbelievable true story of a young boy who disappeared from San Antonio, Texas in 1994 only to resurface in 1997 in Spain and be returned home to his family. Only it's not him, but someone much older pretending to be him for reasons unknown. A documentary th... read moreat challenges while never losing its hypnotizing grasp, director Bart Layton has crafted an exceptional film full of twists and turns, and real-life characters where you go from feeling pity, to anger, to ultimately just sadness and bewilderment. The central figure pretending to be someone he is not is a fully-developed person, someone who obviously has mental problems but is unaware of just how careless his actions are. The last third throws in yet another insane twist to this story that might have some screaming "faux-documentary", but in the end you come away shocked, but convinced, that a story this incredible occurred.
  • blacksheepboy
    January 22, 2013
    blacksheepboy
    A shocking and unbelievable true story which, had someone told me it happened, I would've had a very hard time buying into it. What begins as an apparently simple case of imposture turns out to be about something so much more horrific - and it must be seen to be believed.
  • axadntpron
    January 11, 2013
    axadntpron
    The Imposter is a seductress. It seduces the innate human desire to construct a narrative; to find an explanation in the explicable.

    When a young boy vanishes from his San Antonio home in 1994, an itinerant youth from Spain swindles his way into the clutches of the grieving fam... read moreily. Cunning, enigmatic, Frédéric Bourdin claims to be the missing boy in order to fill a void in his own life. On top of this, he soon finds out that his presence allows the family to mend. Even in the face, pun intended, of overwhelming evidence, the grief-stricken family chooses to believe the impossible.

    At times director Bart Layton feels like a more manipulative Errol Morris; painting a portrait of the peripheral while simultaneously using the material to tease out rather invasive implications for the viewer at home. With this film, Layton allows the audience to look at the family with sympathetic contempt for buying Bourdin's story, all while fastening on new theories that dupe us into creating whatever version of the story gives us the most satisfaction. Layton does so by blending interviews with reenactments, a tool that I usually find obnoxious, but is wisely done here.

    The film itself is akin to an elaborate con. The talent behind the ruse is uncanny. And even though the viewer may feel robbed due to the lack of clarification that the film offers, one cannot help but be in awe of the masterful manipulation.
  • MrMarakai
    January 9, 2013
    MrMarakai
    Over the last couple of years, there have been a number of sophisticated documentaries which have been structured in such a dramatic way, as to become an exciting new style of filmmaking altogether. Maybe it's just that I've reached an age where I have the patience and can fully ... read moreappreciate how a documentary plays out but I don't remember them ever being as gripping as they are now. Either way, this is another one that can be included alongside the recent, impressive likes of "Exit Through The Gift Shop" and "Catfish".
    The true story of Frédéric Bourdin, a lonely but confident con-man who ends up in a Spanish orphanage, claiming he is Nicholas Barclay - a 16 year old Texan boy who went missing three years ago. The Barclay's are contacted and Frédéric is flown over to meet with his estranged family. The fact that Frédéric has darker eyes, an accent and many other physical differences from the missing Nicholas doesn't seem to bother the Barclay family; they are happy to welcome him back even though things just don't add up.
    This story unfolds while playing with the conventions of your average documentary. It's has the obligatory interviews with the real life people involved but also intercuts with reconstructed dramatisations of the events and shapes the story with a film-like narrative. Anyone familiar with TV shows like "Crimewatch" will know what I mean when I compare it to such a style. That being said, it's a highly effective approach and keeps you thoroughly involved. The biggest involvement comes from the actual events themselves, though. How these events even managed to take place is hard to believe. So much so, that it had me wondering whether this documentary was manipulated, much like the aforementioned "Exit Through The Gift Shop" and "Catfish". That being said, it slowly reveals it's darker layers that becomes a classic case of the truth being, most definitely, stranger than fiction. At one point, there is a revelation - which I won't explore here - where you realise that the very thing you thought to be a hoax is surpassed by an even bigger web of deceit and it's an absolute punch in the gut. The only issue I had with the film overall, was a lack of probing or further investigation into the startling revelations but this with this, I'm just looking for fault.
    An absolutely gripping and frightening docu-drama that manages to create a real sense of unease. What's more frightening is the unusual behaviour of the so-called 'innocents' involved, though. An impressive piece of work.
  • JonathanHutchings
    January 1, 2013
    JonathanHutchings
    In the first couple of minutes of The Imposter, we hear a recorded call with captions placing the call in time; then the film is rewound and we hear it again. The Imposter is a fairly straightforward tale of identity theft but a tale that needs this constant revision. Everything ... read moreone hears in its turn requires closer scrutiny. Director Bart Layton's triumph is to follow each thread of the story through, only increasing the layers of information when the tale demands it. This is a captivating and chilling story, beautifully explored by Layton. He blurs the boundaries between a documentary and blockbuster. Even though Layton allows you to be aware that Frederic is not the real Nicholas Barclay from the outset, he teasingly feeds you fragments of the story piece by piece from the perspectives of the family members, the officials and Frederic himself. The product is a gripping thriller, heightened by the knowledge that it is a true story and by the mesmerizing stylized cinematography, including some eery moving portraits of the family members accepting an obvious stranger into their home. This is just one of the many striking images in this film that will stay with me for a long time.

    There's more to the composition than this, of course. Layton's interviews are impeccably collated so that one has the feeling that at all times the individual telling their story is being honest, even when they might look a bit silly. It's also a great achievement to end with a greater mystery than those that tumble forward as the story rolls on. Frederic Bourdin is the great draw of the show, as candid as Joe Simpson in Touching The Void. The editing helps make the point where others would have resorted to interpolated exposition. There's also a nice, unobtrusive soundtrack by Anne Nikitin which follows almost exactly the emotional temperature of the film.

    Provoking questions about identity, human nature, society and national security, The Imposter keeps you eager with anticipation while you bathe in the beauty of the images crafted by Layton. It's a brilliant documentary that plays like a thriller. This is easily one of the best films of 2012, and one that really drives home the notion that truth is stranger than fiction.
  • c0up
    December 30, 2012
    c0up
    'The Imposter'. A remarkable exploration into deception and delusion. The fact that it's true makes it all the scarier.
  • kiriyamakazou
    December 22, 2012
    kiriyamakazou
    Some stories are so incredible they could only be true. The Imposter is all about a missing boy who is found after 3 years far away from his Texas home, in Spain. He returns to the family who welcome him home. The only problem is, it isn't their son. Watching The Imposter you see... read more how desperate some people are to believe what they are told, especially in times of great tragedy. They are even prepared to believe that his eye-colour somehow changed. Despite the discrepancies between the missing boy and the imposter, he manages to trick everyone from the Spanish authorities to the FBI. We are given both sides of the story, from the imposter himself and the family at the centre of the tale. But darker secrets may be hidden away for both criminal and victims. This is an exceptional mystery, horror, and spine-tingling drama. It all relates back to belief and faith, and is also the journey into the mind of a man who has been psychologically damaged and no longer understands the repercussions of his actions. This is a film that has to be seen, as it tells you a little something about yourself and your species.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    October 3, 2012
    StarCrossedVoyager
    Fantastic documentary which plays more like a comedy thriller where nothing is lost despite the fact that we already know who the imposter actually is. It's hard to believe it's a true story but it's thoroughly compelling and a must watch for everyone.
  • bathshebamonk
    September 17, 2012
    bathshebamonk
    I went with some friends to this movie, and didn't know what to expect and so I wasn't actually sure that this was a real documentary or a fake documentary. Wow. Frederick Bourdin is the king of sociopaths and the family of Nicholas Barclay that he duped into thinking he was th... read moreeir missing boy--I don't know what to say about them. Bourdin, who is Algerian, looked and sounded NOTHING like Barclay who was Scotch Irish or something. Could you want someone who left with no trace back so badly that you are willing to believe that some random person is him? I don't know. I have never been in that situation. Was the family covering up some heinous crime they committed or colluded with? That seems likely, but if so they apparently covered up their tracks pretty thoroughly. Anyway, I kept flashing to that French movie, The Ruturn of Martin Guerre where the same basic thing happened, except in the middle ages, when that movie took place, there were no photos or videos of the missing person. There were plenty around the Barclay house. Anyway, I'll be thinking of the intricacies of the human heart for quite a while because of this.

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Critic Reviews

Rick Groen
October 12, 2012
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

In the annals of forged identity flicks, this is a towering Everest, dwarfing the deceivers in the likes of Catch Me If You Can and F for Fake. Full Review

Linda Barnard
October 11, 2012
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star

This is edge-of-your-seat stuff and the difficulty is in the telling of the tale. To give any of this film away is a crime. You simply have to see it for yourself. Full Review

Rene Rodriguez
September 13, 2012
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald

The most fascinating aspect of the movie is why the missing boy's family believed the imposter's story. Full Review

J. R. Jones
August 31, 2012
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

You may begin to wonder if you aren't being conned by the movie yourself. Full Review

Trevor Johnston
August 21, 2012
Trevor Johnston, Time Out

You couldn't make this stuff up - and no one would buy it as fiction. But as a documentary, it's a different matter. Full Review

Mark Feeney
August 16, 2012
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe

Beverly Dollarhide, Nicholas's mother, says of the period after her son's disappearance, "My main goal in life at that time was not to think." Apparently, the filmmakers have taken a cue from her. Full Review

Tirdad Derakhshani
August 16, 2012
Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer

Layton's dazzling film is an exciting, edge-of-your-seat experience superior to any Hollywood mystery you're likely to see for a long time. Full Review

Bill Goodykoontz
August 16, 2012
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

"The Imposter" becomes more than just a missing-persons drama. It hints at something much darker: a real-life horror story, the full truth of which may never be known. Full Review

Peter Rainer
August 10, 2012
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

This is one creepy mystery. Full Review

Mark Jenkins
August 10, 2012
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post

"The Imposter" initially seems to be a tutorial in identity theft, as well as a cautionary tale about the susceptibility of people who have lost a loved one. But that's not the half of it. Full Review

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    • Frédéric Bourdin: A new identity was a real passport, an American passport, I could go to the US, go to the school there, live with that family and just being someone and don't never again to to worry about being identified.
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The Imposter Trivia

  • He's the author whose novels and short stories have been adapted into the films "Total Recall" "Blade Runner" "Paycheck" "Imposter" Minority Report" and "A Scanner Darkly".  Answer »
  • Who starred in The Salton Sea, The Cell, Imposter, and Men in Back?  Answer »
  • In "The Addams' Family", what was Fester hiding from his long-lost family that made Wendsday suspicious?  Answer »
  • In Night of the Hunter,starring Robert Mitchum,an evil imposter terrorizes 2 children,in his quest to find a large sum of stolen money.Where was the cash stashed?  Answer »
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