The Imposter (2012)

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.

Director:

Bart Layton

Stars:

Adam O'Brian, Nicholas Barclay, Carey Gibson

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 11 wins & 30 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicholas Barclay	...	Himself - Missing Person (archive footage)
Carey Gibson	...	Herself - Nicholas' Sister
Bryan Gibson	...	Himself - Nicholas' Brother-in-Law
Beverly Dollarhide	...	Herself - Nicholas' Mother
Frédéric Bourdin	...	Himself - Imposter (as Frederic Bourdin)
Nancy Fisher	...	Herself - Special Agent, FBI (as Nancy B. Fisher)
Philip French	...	Himself - Consul General, U. S. Embassy in Spain (as Phillip French)
Codey Gibson	...	Himself - Nicholas' Nephew
Charlie Parker	...	Himself - Private Investigator
Bruce Perry	...	Himself - Texas Children's Hospital (as Bruce D. Perry)
Allie Hostetler	...	Herself - Nicholas' Neighbor (as Allie Hosteiler)
Kevin Hendricks	...	Himself - Nicholas' Childhood Friend
Adam O'Brian	...	Frédéric Bourdin
Anna Ruben	...	Carey Gibson
Cathy Dresbach	...	Nancy Fisher

Storyline

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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Plot Keywords:

texas | frenchman | identity theft | torture victim | mythomania | 

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Taglines:

Deception comes home.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Avalon [Spain] Official Facebook

Country:

UK

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 August 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

Az Imposztor

Filming Locations:

Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,379, 15 July 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$892,409, 23 November 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

24 Seven Productions, A&E IndieFilms, Film4

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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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 that family, and just being someone and don't have never again to worry about being identified. I saw the opportunity.

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Connections

Version of The Chameleon (2010)

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Soundtracks

Wayfaring Stranger
Written by David Eugene Edwards & Jean Yves Tola (as Edwards/Tola)
Performed by Sixteen Horsepower (as 16 Horsepower)

User Reviews

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.