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Classic mystery meets stranger-than-fiction documentary in “The Imposter,” an intriguing and occasionally riveting film about serial French impostor Frédéric Bourdin. Throughout his career, Bourdin assumed more than 500 fake identities, but surely, few cases drew more attention than that of 13-year-old Nicholas Barclay, whose disappearance shapes the film’s narrative. Barclay vanished in 1994, and three years later, Bourdin saw a golden opportunity, staging an announcement of Barclay’s discovery, and then traveling from Spain to the U.S. posing as the missing boy. It may not be so outrageous that the public believed Bourdin’s ruse (despite the fact that, even with his hair bleached blonde to match Nicholas’, the imposter looked nothing like the boy), but what’s shocking is that Nicholas’ family welcomed Bourdin home with open arms.
Directed by Bart Layton, “The Imposter” is a film that probingly questions people’s motivations, be those people wanted chameleons or desperate small-town family folk. Even if one were open to the convoluted lies surrounding the false Barclay boy’s return (which involve a military operation that brought the Texan overseas, and can account for why his accent, skin tone and eye color are different), it seems astonishing that the kid’s own family would buy it. In addition to reenacting the case with actors and letting Bourdin narrate the tale, Layton interviews the family members, all of whom seem at once pitifully manipulated and accepting of their delusions. Was the grief so strong that it proved blinding for Nicholas’ loved ones? Or is there more to the story here?
That “more” is the greatest thing “The Imposter,” has to offer, a layer whose details trump Bourdin’s treachery on the scale of unnerving, beyond-belief weirdness. While remaining surprisingly objective, Layton fans out clues and personal accounts like marbles on a dance floor, and leaves it to the viewer to navigate their validity without slipping. It’s a fun little cinematic game, and it ably toys with audience allegiance.
A twisted genius, Bourdin clearly fills the movie’s villain role, but as “The Imposter” evolves, it offers growing evidence that madness is relative.
The Imposter
R
Three reels out of four
Opens tomorrow at the Ritz at the Bourse
Recommended Rental
A Separation
PG-13
Available Tuesday
One of the very best films of 2011, Asghar Farhadi’s Iranian stunner “A Separation” finally makes its way to DVD, greatly rewarding patient film buffs who haven’t yet seen it. A crumbling marriage sets the stage for a rippling series of events among a handful of simple people, all of whom learn the devastating effects a few poor decisions can yield.
Brilliantly written and tautly directed, “A Separation” is at once specific to its land of origin and achingly universal. An absolutely unmissable movie.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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