The Imposter

Unraveling an extraordinary true crime tale, The Imposter offers a spine-tingling insight into the dark side of human nature. Intrigued by the bizarre exploits of identity thief Frédéric Bourdin, documentarian Bart Layton was inspired to unearth the slippery mystery of how this twenty-something French conman managed to convince a grieving family in Texas that he was their missing son. 13-year-old Nicholas Barclay vanished in 1994, then three years later seemingly surfaced in Spain. Thrilled to have him back in their arms, the boy's family ignored red flags like a pronounced French accent and a different eye color. But Layton gives credit to the family's credulity, not only by letting them offer their version of the events that unfolded in 1994 and 1997, but also by giving voice to the man who lied to them so blatantly and so brilliantly. From its first minutes, The Imposter shows Bourdin to be a liar, but as he weaves his own sob story, full of tragedy and heartstring-tugging moments, it becomes clear how he conned a family into thinking he was one of their own.  The unrepentant and arrogant Bourdin has a devil's charm that is intoxicating as it pulls you into his tale and under his influence. This combined with Layton's sleek aesthetic, slow burn tension, and surprisingly sly sense of humor, makes this mystery more captivating and chilling at every twisted turn.