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The Imposter: movie review

( R ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

'Imposter' has a few too many reenactments but is an unsettling mystery.

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'The Imposter' is the story of a young man who successfully convinced a Texas family he was their missing son.
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

Bart Layton鈥檚 documentary 鈥淭he Imposter鈥� is about a mind-boggling, true-life scam involving Nicholas Barclay, a missing 13-year-old boy from rural San Antonio, and 23-year-old Frederic Bourdin, who, years after the disappearance, managed to convince the boy鈥檚 parents and the authorities that he was Nicholas despite his French accent and physical dissimilarities. Was Nicholas鈥檚 family so joyous at their 鈥渟on鈥檚鈥� return that they willed themselves into belief?

Or was something more nefarious 鈥� murder maybe? 鈥� the explanation? 鈥淭he Imposter鈥� has too many reenactments for my taste, and Bourdin is glorified by Layton more often than he is condemned. Still, this is one creepy mystery. Grade: B (Rated R for language.)

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