The Imposter is the story of a Texas family whose 13-year-old son went missing in 1994. Three years later, the boy was found halfway around the world when he was picked up by policemen in Spain. But this tale is far stranger than the almost-unheard-of situation of finding a missing child out of the country in which he vanished. In reality, the young man who turned up in Spain was not the missing child, but was so desperate to assume a new identity that he decided to fake being the long-lost teenager. And, amazingly, the entire family believed it!
Where Compliance was a dramatization of real events, The Imposter is a documentary. It's comprised of interviews with around half a dozen subjects, intercut with reenactments of the events as the subjects relate them. The mother and sister of the missing boy are both interviewed, and the mind reels as you try to put yourself in their shoes. Could you imagine being so desperate to find a missing loved one that you would unthinkingly welcome a complete stranger into your home in his place?
Equally compelling are the interviews with the con man himself, who unspools his tale in a showy fashion that makes you think "if anyone could pull off a con like this, it would be this guy." He seems as shocked as anyone that he got away with assuming his new identity. But then again, you must constantly remind yourself as you watch this man: you probably shouldn't believe a single word he says.
I was a bit concerned at the outset of the film that the game was being given away too early. The title itself feels like a spoiler, and it takes less than four minutes for the film to reveal that this poor family was being conned. But I need not have been concerned. In fact, this all became quite the hook to pull me into the movie, and things only got more interesting. How did this story end? When did this imposter get caught? What was in the minds of the family? In the con man's?
And then there came even more unexpected twists! These I won't spoil for you, but I'll say simply that two-thirds of the way into the documentary, the story became even more twisted than I was expecting.
The movie set an amazingly effective tone. Even though it was a story being told to me by people who lived it, I felt myself getting tense as I watched. I was almost worried for what might happen to them. I felt a little uncomfortable at times, watching it alone in my house at night. What did I imagine, that some imposter was suddenly going to show up in my place? Who knows, but watching the movie was definitely a draw-your-feet-up-tight-on-the-couch experience.
And as The Imposter was a documentary made just last year, it's actually eligible to join my Top 10 List of 2012. And it does, sliding into the #8 slot. I've noted before that last year was a good one for movies, and I must repeat it again now. In any other year, I feel like a movie this gripping would surely have earned a Top 5 spot. But whatever the number, the documentary earns an A- grade from me. It's a movie that absolutely makes you think. And I hope it's a movie more of my friends see, because I think it's also one that would make you talk too. It's a conversation I'd look forward to having.
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