The Imposter DVD box set: unbelievable

The Imposter is documentary of Bart Layton, but in fact, is a movie.

Nicholas Barclay disappeared from his family home in San Antonio, Texas at the tender age of thirteen. Three years and four months later, an unaccompanied 16-year-old boy is found in France. When circumstances lead French authorities to believe he is Nicholas Barclay, he’s swiftly returned to a concerned family who welcome him all too easily. However, as the FBI and a sole private investigator notice subtle differences that, for some reason, have been overlooked by the family, it soon becomes clear that so-called Nicholas Barclay is in fact impostor Frédéric Bourdin (portrayed in interviews by Bourdin himself and in dramatisations by actor Adam O’Brian).

The real-life story of Bourdain who was, at the time of his eventual imprisonment, dubbed by many sources “The Chameleon”, The Imposter DVD box set mixes a concoction of styles and elements synonymous with the documentary genre in bold and interesting new ways. It’s a technique that, through writer and director Bart Layton’s meticulous attention-to-detail and obvious personal curiosity in the horrifying situation, creates an intoxicating atmosphere in which the audience is entirely immersed from start to finish.

In lesser hands, such technique might feel like a cheat. After all, documentaries are about establishing the truth, however ugly, not colluding in a fantasist’s beautiful cruelties.

But this is a documentary about fabricating stories, the allure of deception and how quickly the facts can vanish into the ether.

The effect of Layton’s efforts is to give credence to each of the claimants, so it’s possible to feel sorry for Frédéric even as the horrendous weight of his actions hits home.