Every so often a documentary comes along with a story that is made for cinema. Be it Seth Gordon’s The King of Kong, with its tale of good vs evil and the overlords of the arcade gaming world in America, or the death defying Man on Wire, which portrays the story of Philippe Petit’s highly illegal tight rope walk from one World Trade Center tower to another. The Imposter is one of these fantastic stories, which is offered to us in a heady mix of talking heads, archival footage and some expertly shot reconstructions.
The film tells the unbelievable tale of the 13-year-old Nicholas Barclay who in 1994 disappeared from his hometown of San Antonio. All hope was lost until a Spanish police officer reported that Nicholas had been found, but he spoke with a thick French accent, his eyes were no longer blue but brown. His family were convinced that it was him but others believed different.
The film could have easily been adapted into a full cinematic adaptation, as it’s a story that seems destined for Hollywood. Director Bart Layton chose otherwise. Largely consisting of talking head interviews spliced with reconstructions, Layton retells the story with a high level of craft and experience.
The story of Frederic Bourdin, known in France as The Chameleon, really has to be portrayed in a documentary style, otherwise it is just too hard to believe. He’s a man who successfully fooled Spanish and US officials, claiming not only the identity of Nicholas Barclay but countless others. Bourdin is dealt with in a very neutral manner within the film. At times he comes off as an innocent man who is just trying to claim back a stolen childhood, albeit in not the best way possible. At other times he appears as a man with no regard for others around him collected, calm and influential, the most expert of con men.
The story of Nicholas Barclay’s disappearance and Bourdin’s claiming of his identity is handled brilliantly within the film. Feeling a lot like the plot of a cinematic film, the archival footage and talking heads are slowly drip fed to the audience, unravelling further and further as the film progresses. The documentary at times feel like an imposter itself, coming off more like a thriller with its slickly shot reconstructive footage edited with actual footage to remarkable effect.
Over the years documentaries have tried to become more accessible to a larger audience, borrowing from cinema with the use of powerful editing, soundtracks and dramatisation. The Imposter really is a triumph within documentary film.
The DVD extras offer an insightful and in depth making of discussing the elements of the film such as soundtrack, editing and the original research. Along with a Q&A from a screening which again offers a great insight into the filming process and further discussion into why Bourdin decided to take the place of Nicholas Barclay hosted by the fantastic Jon Ronson.
Overall Verdict: A tightly crafted documentary mixing both the cinematic and documental aspects of film to expertly tell a truly amazing story a must for documentary fans.
Special Features:
Making of
Q&A hosted by Jon Ronson
Reviewer: Gareth Haworth