ironhorse_iv
How well do you know your loved ones? If you were separated for several years, would you recognize them instantly? In the case of the Barclay family, they thought, they knew their own missing child, Nicolas, only to find out that that something about his return is not quite right. Without spoiling too much of the twist for you in this review; I felt that 'the Imposter' could had done the same. Not spoil it all for the audience. They should had left some suspense about the return of so-called 'Nicolas'. However, the documentary directed by Bart Layton felt to spill all the beans about the audacious fraud, a little too early for my taste. 3 minutes in. It ruin any build any suspense that this 'Nicolas', was not the real Nicolas. Instead, the central focus of the documentary, is if the family knew, deep down that the person that they brought back to their home, was not their son, or not? After all, how in the world, did this family not recognize that the person portraying the Texan native, had a thin French accent, and didn't have any of the right facial features of the boy, but of, an adult man!? Even, the family doctor did not think the child was Nicolas. It seems so obvious! Yet, the family accept this person into their home. Are they that clueless or were they were so grief-stricken that they willing to take anybody to replace him? Or- as the imposter, Frédéric Bourdin alleges himself, to hide the fact that the family murder the boy. These suspicions questions about the family come to dominate, most of the film; as the documentary really does want you to suspect them, despite the police reports, saying the family was not in fault of Nicolas disappearance. This force direction by Layton really does seem its walking a tightrope in terms of the ethical standards when it comes to journalism. Why? The documentary's direction felt like an all over the place unfocused scapegoat interrogation type piece, rather than a keen open discussion on how the imposter was able to nearly get away with his crimes. Don't get me wrong, maybe, the family shouldn't come out of this, without some criticized. After all, following the boy's disappearance, the police were called to their home on multiple occasions. Most of the calls were due to fights between the parents, whose relationship grew volatile to the stress of looking for Nicholas. Regardless of that, the twists and turns through exploitative dramatization should focus on the imposter, rather than the family. After all, the movie barely scratch the surface on who Borden, truly is. Much of his mysterious past & his identity crimes after the Barclay case, remain untold. The film doesn't even show how he supposedly finally found love & happiness through other means, like falling in love with a woman and raising kids. I guess the film doesn't want us to feel too sympathy to this creepy guy. No wonder, why Borden hate this movie. As for the documentary treatment of the law enforcements in Spain & United States who mistake Borden for Nicolas. The officials also felt like they not accurately portrayed. Nearly all their quotes is taken out of context, quote-mined, or deceptively edited, in order to make them, look more clueless than they were, in real-life. It's highly extremely manipulative and kinda off-putting. Look, I get that, the film is about deception and self-deception. So, I get, where Layton was going for, with pulling the viewer, into the feeling of being fool by an unreliable narrator. However, there is no place for gimmicks like that. This isn't a fictional retelling like 2010's crime drama movie, the Chameleon'. This is a documentary film. Thus, it is expected to adhere to reasonable standards of journalistic integrity by presenting facts & research to back, certain claims up, in order to allowed people to decide for themselves. Despite that, the movie is well-shot. Every subject in the story is shot in a normal interview style, but looking off frame at somebody else. Except for the imposter, who is up to our face! Close up. Blur! With his sociopath's charm, Bourdin is utterly creepy. Seeing his words come from the lookalike actor, Adam O'Brian playing him in a reenactment was equally as disturbing. Those vocal crossovers parts are well done. The sequences including the slow-motion, dropped-out sound & time-lapse photography technique are also very smooth. Even the music by composer, Anne Nikitin & the London Symphony Orchestra work well with the piece. It capture the scope of the drama. Overall: If recommending this movie to somebody, could had help find Nicolas Barclay. I gladly promote it, even if I felt this documentary could had been a little bit better. As of this date, he still missing. It's been many years since his disappearance. I hope, that he is found alive, one day. Until then, films like this, will have to continue to shine, in order to keep the case active. While, 'the Imposter' has many flaws, this film is still worth searching for. I highly recommended seeing it.
Barak Gale
I found the film dramatic, surprising, clever in its cinematography, thought provoking. So why did I rate it a "1"? I believe the film took unethical advantage of a family that had already suffered enormously from the disappearance of their boy, and portrayed them as exceedingly gullible, stupid and much worse, as possibly covering up their own heinous involvement, highlighting such possibility as real, even though hugely unlikely, but obviously creating effective tension and drama. That's great for a fictional film, beyond disturbing for a documentary.
LunaticFringe
--is the first that came to mind as I began writing this review, because it is the only word that is required. In fact, the very word "vapid" has more color and interest than this pointless movie. Yes, it's utterly POINTLESS. And that's not even hyperbole!This movie SO monumentally FAILED to live up to what I'd heard/read about it, that I was ANGRY by the time it was *finally* over. I'm a tough critic anyway, I know, but come ON. Some serious back- alley shenanigans involving critics' genitalia/star valves and the hands, mouths, and other assorted orifices of the producers/directors/actors/et al HAD to have occurred for this drivel to be so highly rated.I'd demand my money back, but I didn't pay to see it. Instead, I guess I'll just have to log into IMDb (which is rare) so I can vent my spleen.
Coventry
Good, respectfully made documentaries are very difficult to rate, and even more difficult to review! This is what I experience once again after watching Bart Leyton's uniquely jaw-dropping "The Imposter". It would have been so much easier if this were a fictional story… Then we would all be able to write that it's a bunch of implausible and far-fetched nonsense that sprung from the mind of an overly imaginative scriptwriter! But this is a true story and – believe me – incredibly hard to fathom! Leyton reconstructs, chronologically and patiently, the story of an unscrupulous French/Algerian fraud who incomprehensibly manages to impersonate a vanished 16-year-old Texan; misleading the boy's devastated family members as well as the authorities and the media. When apprehended in Spain, Frédéric Bourdin sees the opportunity to assume the identity of Nicholas Barclay, who disappeared without a trace in his hometown of San Antonio 3 years and 4 months ago. There's no way back when Nicholas' sister comes to bring him back to Texas, but even though he looks, sounds and acts completely different than Nicholas ever did, the family embraces Bourdin without questioning his grotesque made up testimonies. Only gradually, some people become skeptical and begin to dig a deeper in Bourdin's persona, like a social worker and a private detective. The most praiseworthy aspect about "The Imposter", and I believe this is entirely Bart Leyton's very own accomplishment, is that this documentary isn't manipulative or judgmental at all. The film doesn't condemn the family members for their blindness, naivety or how easily they were brainwashed. Quite important, because this made me – personally - feel less like a voyeur in observing all the pain these people had to endure. Bourdin himself is also even granted to elaborate on his miserable childhood and his urge to compensate through becoming a phony. Leyton's narrative style is captivating and honest, and you hardly even notice the whole thing gradually turning from documentary into a tense thriller/film-noir. "The Imposter" is something you just have to discover yourself, I can only repeat that it's an incredible story that you don't even fully when you are gazing at it.
