The Imposter

[EthanRunt]

Well, this was a really well done narrative retelling.

[snare]

I really want to see this now!

[Beate]

The office move at one end was finished by 12.30pm and we were told we could go home so I made it to the 1.30pm showing of Imposter at Greenwich Picturehouse, the first of the day. Luckily, it wasn't that full, but there were some people around me who were really bloody annoying, and they weren't youngsters at all. Lunchtime seems to be a time the older generation frequents the cinema with picnics, slurping yoghurts or noisily chomping on sweets, oh and talking and giggling through a film like teenagers.

The constant tittering really upset me because I didn't think the film was all that comical. Yes it was absurd and bizarre and jaw-dropping and I read reviews saying it was funny but I just felt that the family was mocked for being so stupid and welcoming an imposter into their homes, not necessarily by the filmmakers but by the audience, though some "gags" the director introduced like having Telly Savalas as Kojak answer the police phone felt flippant and unnecessary. I also would have wished that the psychological reasons for the actions of both imposter and trusting family could have been explored a bit deeper.

That said, it did make for a terrific thriller with more than one truth being bandied about, and you never knew who was really telling it as it was. There is something deeply unsettling about a family welcoming a stranger into their homes without a second thought and reacting so strongly when others raise concerns.

Also, [spoiler]it's unsettling that we never found out what really happened to Nicholas and to think that there could be another, more sinister reason for the family being so ready to accept Frederic into their lives.[/spoiler]

8/10

I found a few reviews and a long article in the New Yorker from 2008 about Bourdin, which you probably shouldn't read before you've watched the film but here are the links for later:

http://www.thehollywoodnews.com/2012/08 ... er-review/

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-imp ... ter-review

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/08 ... lp00000008

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008 ... ntPage=all

[sunny hucknall]

don´t believe the hype.

this is ok, but neither thrilling nor ground breaking & not a patch on ¨man on wire¨.

not sure the protagonist should be given any further publicity & i hope he didn´t receive any money from this documentary. [spoiler]to quote the film ¨f**k him¨.[/spoiler]

my heart goes out to the family. baseless accusations from a career liar are no basis for the shadow of doubt being cast over this poor family.

[Jayman]

Finally had a chance to catch this tonight at my local WIQ. In short, I thought it was rivetingly documented, fantastically paced and highly entertaining. Much like Changeling, were it not based on fact, I would not have b*ght into a minute of it. It's unbelievable how gullible this family could be. Seriously, were they all blind? As for Frederic Bourdin, I agree/disagree with Mr.G's take on his character. While he oozes natural charm & charisma, and is quite a vivid storyteller, by the end of the movie I really felt he was nothing more than a narcistic asshole. I know lots of people like him - not quite in the Chamelon sense, but rather people whom you'd find yourself drawn to but then realise that they're really only using you to propel themselves forward.

Anyway, I do have one serious problem with the movie itself and that's highlighed in my spoiler below.

[spoiler]In my eyes, it's a fundamental flaw that this movie ends on such an anti-climactic note. I almost feel like the makers should have waited maybe a few more years to release this when hopefully the missing child's whereabouts would have been uncovered. Of course, there's no guarantee that will ever happen. The child is most likely (and very sadly) deceased. But the last few scenes with that P.I. going over to that guy's house with the shovel and then digging up something almost resembling a shallow grave - that was blatant audience manipulation and solely there for dramatic effect. Absolutely nothing more and completely unnecessary in my eyes.[/spoiler]
Other than that it's an excellent, truly well-made movie.

P.S. Full house in my theater and not a single giggle nor laugh. I didn't think it was comically depicted either.

[Celini]

They actually shot this last scene live; this is the only non re-enacted scene (that is not old footage) of the film. They had no idea how that'd end up and I think this is actually a good "ending" as it sticks to reality and does no give false hope.
Charlie seems to be quite a character, he attended few Q&A and I really regret he did not attend ours. Hopefully he'll get to the bottom of the story some days.

[ghettodemi]

I'll start off by stating that I'm going to be practising medicine next year and have an IQ of 149 but it took me 2 days after the movie when I was watching bbc breakfast to realise that it was a documentary and not just a movie. (it was a treat from my film fanatic friend). Even then I googled it into all the search engines just to make sure this was some conspracy to make me look like an idiot. (as you can already tell by the post I can do that all by myself).

I didn't really rate the film until I found out it was real - and when I did it BLEW my mind. I just couldn't believe the story that was unveiling before me. At first I was confused and couldn't fathom just why this family wanted this guy to be their son to the point where it was humorous. THE GUY WAS CLEARLY NOT THEIR SON. Yet when I found out it was real I understood why it was they did that, hope is a lot like fear. When your scared you let your emotions rule you which is what I think the family were doing they needed a son like Bourdin said and he was that hope. They needed him to be their son so were willing to accept any and all conditions that came with this.

That being said at the time I thought it was just a movie [spoiler]I just thought the same as Bourdin - they've killed him. That's why they needed everyone else to believe that this was their son. They fed him the info, made sure he passed that test. And when they were digging up the patch of land I just thought "how cliche they killed their son" and when we go back to the family they'll be in a prison cell contesting thier ignorance". So imagine the (delayed) headfuck (excuse the language but it seems the most appropriate word) when I realised it was real. That there was a possibility he may have really been killed and that this crap actually happened.[/spoiler]

I abhor generic film critic responses but it seems there's no other sentence that can best sumate this movie: sometimes fact is stranger than fiction.

[cheekyweelassie]

I used a voucher to go and see this earlier today, and I was absolutely riveted by it. I thought it was an outstanding piece of documentary-making, with astonishing access to the principal people involved, and clever use of interview audio and re-enactments.
I had seen an interview with the director on BBC Breakfast, but thankfully they didn't give too much away. The interview did its job as I was intrigued by the story and wanted to see the film. I started to suspect the sinister implications only just ahead of the film, and then wondered why I hadn't thought of it before (perhaps because it's just too horrible to consider).
I liked how viewers were left to make up their own mind, and that's evidenced by people reviewing the film on here have reached different conclusions. The ending was a bit disappointing, but I suppose one point could be that there is no ending, and there won't be until someone gets to the bottom of what actually happened.
This is definitely a film that gets people talking, and I would recommend that people go and see it before it disappears from the cinemas.
10/10 (oooh!)

[Yinster]

Back from Glasgow. People were still coming in right up to 18:55 so they would have missed the foundations of this film. Thought it was filmed very well but felt the second half dragged. Not convinced the family didn't know about him or what happened to their actual son but he is one very skilled and calculated guy. 6/10

[deb1]

Seen this tonight at Glasgow. Really enjoyed, thought it was compelling viewing. Had it been just another film I'd have been saying overall it was ok but the fact that it was real made it quite fascinating. I do think that there has to be more to it as far as the family are concerned, they were definitely hiding something! Lots of latecomers in Glasgow tonight. 7/10.