The real world is full of stories that are better than anyone could make up. The Olympics have shown the world copious stories of hope, struggle and sacrifice. The Paralympics are currently showing us stories of inspiration, and there are more than enough stories of horror, action and comedy out there. A good raconteur can make even the most mundane series of events a thrilling ride, so what could he do with a real story full of mystery, lies and intrigue? British director Bart Layton answers this question with his documentary The Imposter (2012). Using talking heads, archive footage and well placed reconstruction footage, Layton unravels the facts of this film as if it were a traditional narrative creating suspense from start to finish.
In 1994, a 13 year old boy went missing from San Antonio, Texas. In 1997 he turned up in Madrid, but he’s now a 23 year old Frenchman. The Imposter tells the story of how Frederic Bourdin convinced the Spanish and American authorities that he was the missing Nicholas Barclay, and how he even convinced the emotional American family of the missing child.
The key theme of the film is identity. Bourdin the fraudster is open with the film crew from the beginning. This brings the first thought of identity, is he the film’s protagonist? The answer is not clear as Nicholas Barclay’s family get equal screen time and as victims of Bourdin’s deceit, they clearly deserve the audience’s sympathy. But the sympathy doesn’t have to be given to one group alone. As a half Algerian child born into a racist family, Bourdin explains that his childhood was a loveless one. Without love, there can’t really be a childhood and without a past, you can’t build a future. His crimes seemed victimless. He would pretend to be someone else, a lost child, and in doing so would find himself put into a children’s home, where people really cared for him. The only victim in these situations was Bourdin; he had been a victim of his environment. But one home, in 1997 necessitated proof of identity. At this point, a line was crossed; Bourdin found Nicholas Barclay on a missing person’s list and claimed to be him. Barclay’s sister came immediately to pick him up. Was he still a victim of his environment, or was he now a criminal taking advantage of an emotional family?
Despite being primarily stone-faced, Barclay’s family, especially his mother and sister, recall the emotions and events involving Nicholas’ disappearance and apparent resurfacing on another continent. When Carey Gibson, Nicholas’ sister recalls her flight to Spain to pick her brother up, she tells about pure unadulterated joy. Even when she comes face to face with the 23 year old Bourdin who looked nothing like her brother, she explains that she was un-phased.
The family had dealt with a gaping hole for three years; Bourdin filled this hole and was shown the love he never received as a child. It could be argued that the family subconsciously knew Bourdin was not Barclay, the similarities were too narrow and the differences were too broad. However they suspended their disbelief and welcomed him into their family, if this is the case is there a problem? Is there even a story? Again the audience are faced with a crime that doesn’t seem criminal; there seem to be no victims and no antagonist. Yet Layton keeps the suspense building. New characters are introduced to counter-balance the faster paced happy music. Even if this new family are happy, the happiness is built on a lie. Bourdin builds on the lie until the point that cracks start to show and from those cracks a whole new story seems to seep out.
If it’s not the ordering of the documentary (the slow revealing of plot points) that builds the tension, it’s the incredible reconstruction footage. Bourdin stars as himself in the cinematic shots of prior events. Bart Layton has constructed a film that borders between documentary and narrative, thriller and gothic horror, reassuring and unsettling only to settle for all of them.
Is Frederic Bourdin a victim of his environment; or a fraudster taking advantage of an emotional family? Are Nicholas Barclay’s family victims of Bourdin’s lies; or just disillusioned enough to welcome a stranger into their family? The answers to these questions can only be found in the opinions of the audience, but there is certainly one victim at the heart of The Imposter; where is Nicholas Barclay?
Written by Edward L. Corrigan on 29/08/2012
