IMDb > The Imposter (2012)
The Imposter
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The Imposter (2012) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (See all 9 | slideshow) Videos (see all 3)
The Imposter -- A documentary centered on a young Frenchman who convinces a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who went missing for 3 years.
The Imposter -- Trailer for The Imposter

Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   11,321 votes »
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Down 17% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Bart Layton
Contact:
View company contact information for The Imposter on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
24 August 2012 (Ireland) See more »
Genre:
Documentary | Biography See more »
Tagline:
There are two sides to every lie.
Plot:
A documentary centered on a young Frenchman who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years. | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 10 wins & 14 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(242 articles)
Bart Layton and Musician K'naan Among Those Selected for Sundance's 2013 Directors and Screenwriters Labs
 (From Indiewire. 9 May 2013, 1:55 PM, PDT)
Move Review - Bernie (2011)
 (From Flickeringmyth. 25 April 2013, 1:36 AM, PDT)
The HeyUGuys Interview: Producer Simon Chinn talks Project Nim and Academy Awards
 (From HeyUGuys. 22 March 2013, 6:00 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Review See more (43 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order)

Adam O'Brian ... Frédéric Bourdin

Anna Ruben ... Carey Gibson
Cathy Dresbach ... Nancy Fisher
Alan Teichman ... Charlie Parker
Ivan Villanueva ... Social Worker
Maria Jesus Hoyos ... Judge
Anton Marti ... Male Police Officer
Amparo Fontanet ... Female Police Officer

Ken Appledorn ... Vice Consul
Carey Gibson ... Herself
Bryan Gibson ... Himself
Beverly Dollarhide ... Herself
Frédéric Bourdin ... Himself (as Frederic Bourdin)
Nancy Fisher ... Herself (as Nancy B. Fisher)
Phillip French ... Himself
Codey Gibson ... Himself
Charlie Parker ... Himself
Bruce Perry ... Himself (as Bruce Perry M.D.; P.H.D.)
Allie Hosteiler ... Herself
Kevin Hendricks ... Himself / Interviewer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Sylvie Cohen ... FBI Agent (uncredited)

John Geiger ... Pedestrian (uncredited)

Debbie Jennings ... FBI Agent / Passport Agent (uncredited)

L.T. Kidd ... Detective (uncredited)

Karen Lewsader ... Loraine - Call Center (uncredited)
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Directed by
Bart Layton 
 
Produced by
John Battsek .... executive producer
Sam Brown .... development producer
Katherine Butler .... executive producer
Simon Chinn .... executive producer
Paul Cziok .... archive producer
Robert DeBitetto .... executive producer
Poppy Dixon .... co-producer
Dimitri Doganis .... producer
John Farrar .... development producer
Kate Horne .... assistant producer: Spain
Tabitha Jackson .... executive producer
Mary-Jane Mitchell .... development producer
Randy Murray .... local producer: Phoenix, AZ
Theresa Murray .... local producer: Phoenix, AZ
Robert Sharenow .... executive producer
Molly Thompson .... executive producer
Vanessa Tovell .... line producer
Paloma Lopez Vazquez .... local producer: Madrid
 
Original Music by
Anne Nikitin 
 
Cinematography by
Lynda Hall (director of photography)
Erik Wilson (director of photography) (as Erik Alexander Wilson)
 
Film Editing by
Andrew Hulme 
 
Makeup Department
Pablo Morillas .... hair designer: Madrid
Pablo Morillas .... makeup designer: Madrid
Bianca Risch .... hair stylist assistant: Phoenix, AZ (as Bianca Rusch)
Bianca Risch .... makeup artist assistant: Phoenix, AZ (as Bianca Rusch)
Dana Vargas .... hair stylist: Phoenix, AZ
 
Production Management
Andy Nelson .... production manager: Phoenix, AZ
Piers Vellacott .... head of production
Nicola Whitehead .... post-production producer: Prime Focus
Alejandro Alvarez Yanes .... production manager: Madrid
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kyle Hanlon .... first assistant director: Phoenix, AZ
Travis Alan McAfee .... second assistant director: Phoenix, AZ (as Travis McAfee)
Jeremy Phoenix .... first assistant director: Phoenix, AZ
Lucas Cuevas Stollery .... first assistant director: Madrid
 
Art Department
Sonia Aranzabal .... art director: Madrid
Marcia Calosio .... production designer: Phoenix, AZ (as Marcia Carols)
Temple Clark .... storyboard artist
Angel Garcia .... prop assistant: Madrid
Mariona Julbe .... art director: Madrid
Vanessa Monreal .... art director: Madrid
John M. Oswald .... set decorator: Phoenix, AZ (as Jon Oswald)
Luis Miguel Revenga .... prop assistant: Madrid
Ashley Sanders .... storyboard artist
Travis Secory .... set dresser: Phoenix, AZ
Zack Shisslak .... property master: Phoenix, AZ
Ted Sorensen .... set dresser: Phoenix, AZ
 
Sound Department
Brian Albritten .... sound recordist: documentary crew
Mike Cooper .... sound recordist: Madrid
Kaye Charles Cruz .... sound recordist: documentary crew
Paul Davies .... sound designer
Charlie Ethridge .... sound recordist: Phoenix, AZ (as Charles Ethridge)
Allen Green .... sound recordist: documentary crew
Andrew Stirk .... sound re-recording mixer
Andrew Stirk .... supervising sound editor
David Turner .... sound facility director
Nick Walker .... sound recordist: : documentary crew
Simon Hill .... mix technician (uncredited)
Robert Karlsson .... dolby sound consultant (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
Pedro Moreno .... special effects supervisor: Madrid
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Águeda Balogh .... first assistant camera: Madrid (as Agueda Balogh)
Antonio Diaz Gallardo .... grip: Madrid
Joe Engelbrechet .... grip: Phoenix, AZ
Xoan Feros .... camera trainee: Madrid
Carlos Guijarro .... camera trainee: Madrid
Sean Patrick Hill .... key grip: Phoenix, AZ (as Sean Hill)
Justin King .... first assistant camera: documentary crew
Jeremy Kraft .... camera trainee: Phoenix, AZ
Alfonso Lujan .... key grip: Madrid
Justin Michael .... camera trainee: Phoenix, AZ
Amy Newstead .... first assistant camera: documentary crew
Brandon Ruzovich .... g&e trainee: Phoenix, AZ
Pedro Sanchez .... gaffer: Madrid
Xuan Santer .... second assistant camera: Phoenix, AZ
Oliver Schofield .... additional photography (as Ollie Schofield)
Chris Smith .... camera trainee: Phoenix, AZ
Miguel Velasco Muro .... electrician: Madrid
Ramon Villafanez .... electrician: Madrid
Adam Wheeler .... first assistant camera: Phoenix, AZ
Jarrod Wilson .... gaffer: Phoenix, AZ
Michael Wohlfeld .... first assistant camera: documentary crew
Eric Young .... jib operator: documentary crew
 
Casting Department
Cecilia Bayonas .... casting director: Madrid
Danielle Thompson .... casting director: Phoenix, AZ
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ivan Blanco .... wardrobe assistant: Madrid
Jessica Carey .... set costumer: Phoenix, AZ (as Jessica Cary)
Paco Delgado .... wardrobe designer: Madrid
Susan Estavillo .... set costumer: Phoenix, AZ
Paula Rogers .... costume designer: Phoenix, AZ
Erika Ökvist .... additional costume (as Erika Okvist)
 
Editorial Department
Henry Adkin .... edit assistant
Fiorenza Bagnariol .... digital film bureau
Tom Barrett .... head of restoration
Ben Chanan .... additional editing
Peter Collins .... digital intermediate assistant
Rob Farris .... digital intermediate producer
Marie Fernandes .... digital intermediate producer
Richard Giles .... digital on-line editor
Toby Glover .... supervising on-line editor
Cheryl Goodbody .... assistant digital intermediate producer
Emily Greenwood .... digital on-line editor
Tom Hannibal .... edit assistant
Neil Harrison .... systems administrator
Dan Helme .... data wrangler
Timothy P. Jones .... digital film bureau
Patrick Malone .... digital intermediate head of department
Barry Moen .... assistant editor
Avdhesh Mohla .... assistant editor (as Avi Molha)
Laura Pavone .... digital film bureau
Rob Pizzey .... digital colorist (as Robin Pizzey)
Gordon Pratt .... digital film bureau
Aurora Shannon .... digital intermediate assistant
Ben Stark .... additional editing
Justin Tillett .... digital on-line editor
Laurent Treherne .... digital film technical supervisor
Georgia Woolley .... post-production coordinator
Andy Worboys .... additional editing
 
Music Department
Alex Baranowski .... musician: piano
Philippe Barnes .... musician: flute
Goetz Botzenhardt .... music mixer
Tom Bullens .... studio manager: Air-Edel Studios London
Ian Cape .... musician: percussion, Wanderlust Band
Ellie Fagg .... string section contractor and leader
April Frederick .... musician: soprano
Liz Gallacher .... music supervisor
Andrew Green .... music copyist
Kathleen Hasay .... music supervisor
Tom Howe .... musician: electric guitar.bass
James Jones .... conductor
James Jones .... music assistant
LivingRoomLondon .... musicians (as Living Room in London)
Steve Moss .... musician: clarinet
Anne Nikitin .... orchestrator
RawStrings .... musicians (as Raw Strings)
Richard Scott .... musician: counter tenor
Nick Taylor .... music recording engineer
Isobel Waller-Bridge .... orchestrator
Isobel Griffiths .... orchestral contractor (uncredited)
Patrick Jonsson .... assistant score recordist (uncredited)
 
Transportation Department
Tamara Henderson .... picture car coordinator: Phoenix, AZ
 
Other crew
Alberto Alepuz .... floor runner: Madrid
Alejandro Arroyo .... floor runner: Madrid
Mafe Bello .... production secretary: Madrid
Jonathan Blair .... legal services
Josh Braun .... distribution advisory services: Submarine
Georgina Buck .... production secretary
Javier Cano .... location scout: Madrid
Shaun Center .... key set production assistant: Phoenix, AZ
Michael Cleaver .... legal services: US, SmithDehn
Bethan Daunter .... production coordinator
Harry Dixon .... business affairs: Film4/Channel4
Katelyn M. Edmonds .... production coordinator: Phoenix, AZ (as Katelyn Edmonds)
Ros Ereira .... researcher (as Rosalind Ereira)
Selina Ferguson .... production coordinator
Rodrigo Grande .... production coordinator: Madrid
Micah Green .... distribution advisory services: CAA
Dominic Harrison .... legal and compliance: Film4/Channel4
Tracey Josephs .... production: Film4/Channel4
Jeremy Kimberlin .... head of rights: Film4/Channel4
Leonardo Martínez .... location manager: Madrid (as Leonardo Martinez)
David Morrison .... tax accountant: UK, Nyman Lipsom Paul
Mariangeles Nunez .... floor runner: Madrid
Jason Sallee .... location manager: Phoenix, AZ
Michael Simkins .... legal services
Sue Bruce Smith .... commercial development: Film4/Channel4 (as Sue Bruce-Smith)
Will Stanbridge .... researcher
Peter Suddell .... insurance broker: Media Insurance Brokers
Vinita Tawakley .... production accountant
Michael Thompson .... craft service: Phoenix, AZ
Freddie Paull .... intern (uncredited)
 

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Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
MPAA:
Rated R for language
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
99 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Certification:
USA:R | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:15 | Singapore:PG13
Filming Locations:
Madrid, SpainSee more »
Company:
24 Seven ProductionsSee more »

Did You Know?

Goofs:
Continuity: 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.See more »
Soundtrack:
Queen BitchSee more »

FAQ

See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
13 out of 16 people found the following review useful.
Review, 10 September 2012
Author: Caleb Elliott (calebfjelliott) from United Kingdom

On June, 13, 1994, Nicolas Barclay went missing. Last seen playing basketball with his friends in San Antonio, Texas. There was no word of his whereabouts for days, weeks, months, years until it was assumed he would be missing forever, the search having long since died out. Then the incredible happened. He was discovered in Linares, Spain.

Or was he? The Nicolas that went missing 3 years earlier had had blue eyes not brown and the new Nicolas had a french accent? This new Nicolas was actually Frederic Bourdin a 22 year old French-Algerian, with an addiction to and talent for deceit and fraud. Nevertheless he managed to fool the Barclay family, US embassy officials, the FBI and most of America, if not the world, into believing that he was indeed Nicolas Barclay. But one man had his doubts. A charismatic Texan private eye, Charlie Parker, originally hired to track down Nicolas for an interview with a local media company, noticed an irregularity between the two Nicolas's ears, which eventually lead to Frederic's discovery and arrest.

This captivating and chilling story is beautifully explored by the director Bart 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 mesmerising stylised 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.

Provoking questions about identity, human nature, society and national security, the Imposter our keeps you eager with anticipation while you bathe in the beauty of the images crafted by Layton. It's a brilliant film - one of the best thrillers, let alone documentaries, I have seen.

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suggest similar docs to The Imposter here updownleftright
body language? (spoilers) dennisonuy
Did the IMDb summary just spoil the whole film? ProfoundWhatever
Not so much about the movie, but about the actual events... trippingbomb
SISTER WAS SO DUMB!!! Cavalier_nick
Polygraphs are not admissible in court (posisible spoilers) miss-notorious
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