The Imposter (2012)
88%RT Audience Score: 78%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 BAFTA Award
13 wins & 34 nominations total
Despite its true-crime trappings, The Imposter is an utterly gripping and sometimes heartbreaking documentary thriller cleverly told with narrative flair
The Imposter is like a real-life version of Catch Me If You Can, but with even more twists and turns. Director Bart Layton does an amazing job of telling the story of a man who successfully impersonated a missing teenager, and the family who believed him. It’s so crazy, you’ll start to wonder if you’re being conned too. But the most fascinating part? Why did the family believe him in the first place? This documentary will have you on the edge of your seat, and questioning everything you thought you knew about identity.
Production Company(ies)
Brandywine Productions,
Distributor
Indomina
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
San Antonio, Texas, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language
Year of Release
2012
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 35m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 13, 2012 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 22, 2013
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
starring Adam O’Brian, Anna Ruben, Cathy Dresbach, Alan Teichman, Ivan Villanueva, Maria Jesus Hoyos, directed by Bart Layton, written by Bart Layton, produced by Dimitri Doganis, documentary, true crime, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Brad Newsome, Tom Charity, Rick Groen, Linda Barnard, Rene Rodriguez, J.R Jones, Graeme Tuckett, Katie Smith-Wong, C.J Prince, Amie Simon, MPAA rating R, Frederic Bourdin, Nicholas Barclay, con artist, Texas family, missing relative, psychological thriller, narrative flair, private investigator, family secrets, true identity, mistaken identity, deception, emotional turmoil, human trafficking, wish fulfillment, unreliable narrator, dramatic re-enactments, interviews, suspenseful, twist-filled, tragic, fascinating, unbelievable
Worldwide gross: $3,001,877
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $3,870,093
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,242
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 422,039
US/Canada gross: $898,317
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,158,132
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,153
US/Canada opening weekend: $22,379
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $28,852
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,377
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Anna Ruben – Carey Gibson
Cathy Dresbach – Nancy Fisher
Alan Teichman – Charlie Parker
Ivan Villanueva – Social Worker
Maria Jesus Hoyos – Judge
Director(s)
Bart Layton
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Dimitri Doganis
Film Festivals
Sundance, South by Southwest, Tribeca
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 BAFTA Award
13 wins & 34 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (117) | Top Critics (46) | Fresh (111) | Rotten (6)
Director Bart Layton pieces together a story you wouldn’t believe if it wasn’t true.
September 19, 2018
Brad Newsome
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
More than anything it’s Layton’s storytelling acumen that impresses – the movie unfolds like a psychological thriller, and in the second half effects a chilling twist on its own inherent implausibility.
August 30, 2017
Tom Charity
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
In the annals of forged identity flicks, this is a towering Everest, dwarfing the deceivers in the likes of Catch Me If You Can and F for Fake.
October 12, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
This is edge-of-your-seat stuff and the difficulty is in the telling of the tale. To give any of this film away is a crime. You simply have to see it for yourself.
October 11, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4
Linda Barnard
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
The most fascinating aspect of the movie is why the missing boy’s family believed the imposter’s story.
September 13, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
Rene Rodriguez
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
You may begin to wonder if you aren’t being conned by the movie yourself.
August 31, 2012
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The Imposter is skilfully assembled film, as gripping as it is chilling and more memorable than most thrillers.
September 27, 2021
Graeme Tuckett
Stuff.co.nz
Intermingling with archive home videos from Nicholas to reenactments on key events, Layton weaves an intriguing tale of emotional turmoil and deceit.
December 9, 2019 | Rating: 4.5/5
Katie Smith-Wong
Musings of Guitargalchina
On the surface The Imposter is one hell of a story, but it raises more questions than answers.
July 3, 2019 | Rating: 6.8/10
C.J. Prince
Way Too Indie
Bourdin’s vulnerability and desperation at wanting to be loved, to belong to anyone, anywhere, is so heartbreaking, you can almost forgive him for lying.
March 4, 2019
Amie Simon
Three Imaginary Girls
The plot and unravelling of this criminal Rich Little keeps you glued to the screen. But even more interesting than the star trickster are the family members who want to believe in his story.
August 30, 2018
Pat Padua
DCist
Layton’s The Imposter is not only one of the very best documentaries of 2012, but is arguably a contender for best feature – full-stop.
August 23, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
Joseph Walsh
CineVue…
Plot
In 1994, a thirteen year old boy disappeared from San Antonio, Texas. Three and a half years later, he is found alive and well thousands of miles away in Europe. He tells a story of kidnap and torture when he returns. While his family is excited to bring him home, all is not as it seem.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The Imposter features interviews with Frederic Bourdin, the con artist who posed as the missing Nicholas Barclay.
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