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 (2012-01-23) (Sundance)
  • 24 August 2012 (2012-08-24) (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, directed by Bart Layton. The film includes interviews with Bourdin and members of Barclay's family, as well as archive television news footage and reenacted dramatic sequences.

Synopsis

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.

Layton said of Bourdin: "He invites sympathy. He has this childlike quality about him, and he can be very charming. And at other times he can be quite repellent, because he can be remorseless and you're reminded about what he did. So as a filmmaker, I was asking, How can I find a way of getting the audience to experience a bit of that?"[3]

Credits

Interviews[4]
Drama sequences[4]

Reception

The film has received almost universal critical acclaim and gained a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 95%.[7] The film received the Grand Jury's Knight Documentary Competition at the 2012 Miami International Film Festival,[8] and was nominated for the Grand Jury's World Cinema - Documentary prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.[9] Besides, it won the Filmmakers Award at the 2012 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.[10] The film has been in official selection for several international film festivals, including: South by Southwest,[11] Edinburgh International Film Festival,[12] True/False Film Festival,[13] New Zealand International Film Festivals,[14] Sydney Film Festival,[15] Revelation Perth International Film Festival,[16] Seattle International Film Festival,[17] and San Sebastián International Film Festival.[18]

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.[19] It was nominated for 2 BAFTA's at the 66th British Academy Film Awards for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer and Best Documentary, winning the first.

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."[20]

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."[21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Imposter (2012): Company Credits". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "The Imposter". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  3. ↑ Hogan, Mike (13 July 2012). "'The Imposter': Documentary Reveals Stranger-Than-Fiction Story Of Frédéric Bourdin's Mind-Blowing Deceptions". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 "The Imposter (2012): Full Cast & Crew". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  5. ↑ Antón Martí's official website, which shows the way he spells his name. Accessed 2016-02-12.
  6. ↑ Antón Martí's clip of himself. This page also shows how he spells his name. Accessed 2016-02-12.
  7. ↑ "The Imposter". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Miami International Film Festival: Awards for 2012". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  9. ↑ "Sundance Film Festival: Awards for 2012". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  10. ↑ Fuller, David Lee (7 May 2012). "'Chasing Ice' and 'The Imposter' Take People's Choice and Filmmakers Awards at Hot Docs". Indiewire. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  11. ↑ "The Imposter". SXSW. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "The Imposter Q&A at the Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh". EdiFilmFest.org.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "2012 FILMS". TrueFalse.org. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "The Imposter 2012". Nziff.co.nz. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  15. ↑ Basile, Annette (19 June 2012). "Sydney Film Festival: The Imposter". FILMink. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  16. ↑ Miraudo, Simon (10 July 2012). "F is for Frédéric – The Imposter Review". Quickflix. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  17. ↑ "The Imposter (2012): Release info". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  18. ↑ "The Imposter". Sansebastianfestival.com. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  19. ↑ Fischer, Russ (3 December 2012). "Oscar Documentary Nomination Shortlist Includes 'Searching for Sugar Man, 'The Imposter,' 'The Invisible War'". Slashfilm.com. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  20. ↑ Glasby, Matt (31 July 2012). "The Imposter Review". Total Film. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  21. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (23 August 2012). "The Imposter – review". The Guardian. Retrieved December 15, 2012.

External links

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