The Imposter

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The Imposter

R

Released Jul 13, 2012

1h 35m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

95%

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120 Reviews

78%

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50,000+ Ratings

Filmmaker Bart Layton chronicles the tale of Frederic Bourdin, a con artist who seemingly tricked a Texas family into believing he was a relative who disappeared years earlier.

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Critics Consensus

Despite its true-crime trappings, The Imposter is an utterly gripping and sometimes heartbreaking documentary thriller cleverly told with narrative flair.

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Brad Newsome

Sydney Morning Herald

Director Bart Layton pieces together a story you wouldn't believe if it wasn't true.

Sep 19, 2018

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Tom Charity

Sight & Sound

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.

Aug 30, 2017

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Rick Groen

Globe and Mail

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.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 12, 2012

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Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

While entertaining and informative, this documentary did leave a lot of questions unanswered. It's an effective documentary but I wish it provided more clarity on the story of this missing kid.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 16, 2025

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Brandon Collins

Medium Popcorn

This was surprisingly entertaining. The story is absolutely bonkers. I do wish it had more of a definitive ending.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 16, 2025

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Diana Tuova

Spotlight on Film

Layton’s documentary lives up to the incredulous material.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 9, 2024

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Faiz D

The Imposter is the best psychological thriller I've seen in recent memory. It is a truly bizarre and unbelievable story told in a compelling way.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

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Rodney G

Unforgettable. I watched this years ago and still think about it. Very well made!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/19/24

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Jeffrey P

I know it is based on a true story but I had a hard time suspending disbelief. How could anyone think this is the same kid after less than four years? More than anything it is a look into the mind of a con artist, a place I don't want to know, I'm skeptical enough already. For me, it didn't really get interesting until I got curious and wanted to see how he got caught... and then a big twist almost happens, but not really. Sort of a real-life Usual Suspects kind of ending.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/12/23

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Audience Member

Proving once again that truth is stranger than fiction!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/25/23

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wiebe b

A chilling documentary that twists your mind. Who is the real imposter? The pathological liar or the family of the missing boy?

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

This was a roller coaster . This was shocking . This was a story well told . This was like watching your favorite episode of UnSolVed MySterieS . Well Directed ! A must see .

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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Bart Layton

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Bart Layton chronicles the tale of Frederic Bourdin, a con artist who seemingly tricked a Texas family into believing he was a relative who disappeared years earlier.

Director: Bart Layton
Producer: Dimitri Doganis
Distributor: Indomina
Production Co: A&E IndieFilms, 24 Seven Productions, Film 4
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 13, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 17, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $898.3K
Runtime: 1h 35m

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