The Imposter (2012)

Name: The Imposter
Director: Bart Layton
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Released: 2012-08-24
Duration: 1 h 39 min
Rating: 7.5
Cast: Adam O'Brian, Nicholas Barclay, Carey Gibson, Bryan Gibson

R | 99 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime

A documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years.

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7.5/10
45,805

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77 Metascore

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Cast & Crew

Top Billed Cast

Nicholas Barclay

Self - Missing Person

(archive footage)
Carey Gibson

Self - Nicholas' Sister
Bryan Gibson

Self - Nicholas' Brother-in-Law
Beverly Dollarhide

Self - Nicholas' Mother
Frédéric Bourdin

Self - Imposter

(as Frederic Bourdin)
Nancy Fisher

Self - Special Agent, FBI

(as Nancy B. Fisher)
Philip French

Self - Consul General, U. S. Embassy in Spain

(as Phillip French)
Codey Gibson

Self - Nicholas' Nephew
Charlie Parker

Self - Private Investigator
Bruce Perry

Self - Texas Children's Hospital

(as Bruce D. Perry)
Allie Hostetler

Self - Nicholas' Neighbor

(as Allie Hosteiler)
Kevin Hendricks

Self - Nicholas' Childhood Friend
Adam O'Brian

Frédéric Bourdin
Anna Ruben

Carey Gibson
Cathy Dresbach

Nancy Fisher

Full cast

Director:

Bart Layton

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Awards

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award.

Another 11 wins & 32 nominations.

Reviews & Commentary

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User Reviews

23 June 2012 | me-47-164358

| Interesting...

I saw this film at it's European premiere last night at the Edinburgh Film Festival and I was very surprised. The first 1/3 of the film is a well stylized documentary but then this story, which goes from implausible to downright absurd. If the story wasn't true, you would find yourself thinking that the director was trying to string you along and at the very end pop out and say "naw, I was just kidding". There are so many parts of it the require you to suspend belief only to remind yourself it was reality.

While there maybe no new information, the ability to portray complex situations from the perspective of the participant remind us all that truth and the human condition are relative. You are left with unanswered questions, doubts and just shaking your head. Well polished, well executed and well edited, there are few documentaries that can suck you into them and actually wonder what is next.

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Quotes

Frédéric Bourdin - Imposter: Before I was born, I definitely had the wrong identity. I already didn't know - I was already prepared not to know who I really was. A new identity with a real passport, an American passport... I could go to the U.S., go to school there, live with ...

Goofs

At the beginning of the film, Frédéric Bourdin's hair line is very defined and has dark hair. But by the end of the film he has a noticeable receding hairline. However, the film portrays his talking scenes as one long interview as his shirt never changes.