The Imposter (2012 film)

The Imposter
Directed by Bart Layton
Produced by Dimitri Doganis
Music by Anne Nikitin
Cinematography Erik Alexander Wilson
Lynda Hall
Edited by Andrew Hulme
Production
company
Film4 Productions
A&E IndieFilms
Raw TV[1]
24 Seven Productions[1]
Randy Murray Productions[1]
Distributed by Picturehouse Entertainment
Revolver Entertainment
Indomina Releasing
Release dates
  • 23 January 2012 (Sundance)
  • 24 August 2012 (UK)
Running time
 99 minutes
Country United Kingdom
United States
Language English
Box office $1,999,277[2]

The Imposter is a 2012 British-American documentary film about the 1997 case of the French confidence trickster Frédéric Bourdin, who impersonated Nicholas Barclay, a Texas boy who disappeared at the age of 13 in 1994. The film includes interviews with Bourdin and members of Barclay's family, as well as archive television news footage and reenacted dramatic sequences.

Plot

Bourdin, who turned out to have a long record of impersonating various children, real or imaginary, embellished his claim to be Nicholas Barclay by alleging that he had been kidnapped for purposes of sexual abuse by Mexican, European, and U.S. military personnel and transported from Texas to Spain. His impersonation fooled several officials in Spain and the U.S., and he was apparently accepted by many of Barclay's family members, even though he was seven years older than Barclay, spoke with a French accent, and had brown eyes and dark hair rather than Barclay's blue eyes and blonde hair. The impersonation was eventually unearthed as a result of the suspicions of a private investigator, Charles (Charlie) Parker, and an FBI agent, Nancy Fisher. Bourdin subsequently made a full confession, and in the film he elaborates on the various stages in his impersonation.

Credits

Director Bart Layton has produced, written, and directed several television documentaries, but this film is his feature film debut. Producer Dimitri Doganis has produced many television documentary films and series.

Interviews
Drama sequences

Reception

The film has received almost universal critical acclaim – hailed as one of the stand-out films of Sundance 2012 – and gained a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 95%.[3] The film received a Grand Jury documentary prize at the Miami International Film Festival, and was nominated for a grand jury world documentary prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It won the Filmmakers' award at the HotDoc doc festival in Toronto. The film has been in official selection for the following international film festivals: SXSW, Edinburgh, True False, New Zealand, Sydney, Perth, Seattle, and San Sebastian. It was nominated for six British Independent Film Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Debut Director, Best Technical Achievement- Editing, Best Achievement in Production, and Best Documentary. It was also shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Documentary.[4][5][6] It was nominated for 2 BAFTA's, winning 1.

UK-based film magazine Total Film gave the film a five-star review (denoting 'outstanding'): "Creepier than Catfish and as cinematic as Man On Wire, this is an unnerving story immaculately told and a strong contender for doc of the year."[7]

Peter Bradshaw, film critic for The Guardian, awarded the film five stars, writing, "This film is as gripping as any white-knuckle thriller: it is one of the year's best."[8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 BFI Explore: The Imposter Linked 2013-08-23
  2. ↑ The Imposter at Box Office Mojo
  3. ↑ "The Imposter". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  4. ↑ "15 Documentary Features Advance In 2012 Oscar® Race". Oscars. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  5. ↑ Adam O'Brian- Official Website,
  6. ↑ Academy Award,
  7. ↑ "The Imposter Review". Total Film. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  8. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (August 23, 2012). "The Imposter – review". The Guardian. Retrieved December 15, 2012.

External links