Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

The Imposter

  • 2012
  • R
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
51K
YOUR RATING
The Imposter (2012)
A documentary centered on a young Frenchman who convinces a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who went missing for 3 years.
Play trailer2:33
6 Videos
97 Photos
Crime DocumentaryDocudramaPsychological DramaPsychological ThrillerTragedyTrue CrimeBiographyCrimeDocumentaryDrama

A documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years.A documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years.A documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years.

  • Director
    • Bart Layton
  • Stars
    • Adam O'Brian
    • Nicholas Barclay
    • Carey Gibson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    51K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Bart Layton
    • Stars
      • Adam O'Brian
      • Nicholas Barclay
      • Carey Gibson
    • 113User reviews
    • 115Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 BAFTA Award
      • 13 wins & 34 nominations total

    Videos6

    Theatrical Version
    Trailer 2:33
    Theatrical Version
    The Imposter
    Trailer 2:26
    The Imposter
    The Imposter
    Trailer 2:26
    The Imposter
    The Imposter: They Would Love Me Even More (Spanish Subtitled)
    Clip 1:25
    The Imposter: They Would Love Me Even More (Spanish Subtitled)
    The Imposter: Nicholas Was Home (Spanish Subtitled)
    Clip 1:42
    The Imposter: Nicholas Was Home (Spanish Subtitled)
    The Imposter: Back To School (Spanish Subtitled)
    Clip 1:48
    The Imposter: Back To School (Spanish Subtitled)
    The Imposter: Aliases (Spanish Subtitled)
    Clip 1:26
    The Imposter: Aliases (Spanish Subtitled)

    Photos97

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 92
    View Poster

    Top cast27

    Edit
    Adam O'Brian
    Adam O'Brian
    • Frédéric Bourdin
    Nicholas Barclay
    Nicholas Barclay
    • Self - Missing Person
    • (archive footage)
    Carey Gibson
    Carey Gibson
    • Self - Nicholas' Sister
    Bryan Gibson
    Bryan Gibson
    • Self - Nicholas' Brother-in-Law
    Beverly Dollarhide
    Beverly Dollarhide
    • Self - Nicholas' Mother
    Frédéric Bourdin
    Frédéric Bourdin
    • Self - Imposter
    • (as Frederic Bourdin)
    Nancy Fisher
    Nancy Fisher
    • Self - Special Agent, FBI
    • (as Nancy B. Fisher)
    Philip French
    Philip French
    • Self - Consul General, U. S. Embassy in Spain
    • (as Phillip French)
    Codey Gibson
    Codey Gibson
    • Self - Nicholas' Nephew
    Charlie Parker
    Charlie Parker
    • Self - Private Investigator
    Bruce Perry
    Bruce Perry
    • Self - Texas Children's Hospital
    • (as Bruce D. Perry)
    Allie Hostetler
    Allie Hostetler
    • Self - Nicholas' Neighbor
    • (as Allie Hosteiler)
    Kevin Hendricks
    Kevin Hendricks
    • Self - Nicholas' Childhood Friend
    Anna Ruben
    Anna Ruben
    • Carey Gibson
    Cathy Dresbach
    • Nancy Fisher
    Alan Teichman
    • Charlie Parker
    Ivan Villanueva
    • Social Worker
    María Jesús Hoyos
    María Jesús Hoyos
    • Judge
    • (as Maria Jesus Hoyos)
    • Director
      • Bart Layton
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Tickled
    7.5
    Tickled
    Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
    8.5
    Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
    Capturing the Friedmans
    7.6
    Capturing the Friedmans
    There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane
    6.6
    There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane
    Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
    8.2
    Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
    Tell Me Who I Am
    7.6
    Tell Me Who I Am
    Abducted in Plain Sight
    6.8
    Abducted in Plain Sight
    The Imposter
    4.6
    The Imposter
    The Act of Killing
    8.2
    The Act of Killing
    Cropsey
    6.3
    Cropsey
    American Murder: The Family Next Door
    7.2
    American Murder: The Family Next Door
    Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist
    7.5
    Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The family of Nicholas Barclay initially declined to participate in the documentary, as they felt they had been unfairly portrayed in the media in the past, and they had lost much of their home video footage of Nicholas in a fire. They eventually consented to be interviewed, and the small amount of footage that has survived was used.
    • Goofs
      At the beginning of the film, Frédéric Bourdin's hair line is very defined and has dark hair. But by the end of the film he has a noticeable receding hairline. However, the film portrays his talking scenes as one long interview as his shirt never changes.
    • Quotes

      Frédéric Bourdin - Imposter: Before I was born, I definitely had the wrong identity. I already didn't know - I was already prepared not to know who I really was. A new identity with a real passport, an American passport... I could go to the U.S., go to school there, live with that family, and just being someone and don't have never again to worry about being identified. I saw the opportunity.

    • Connections
      Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Most Hard to Watch Documentaries (2018)
    • Soundtracks
      Queen Bitch
      Written by David Bowie
      Performed by David Bowie

    User reviews113

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10

    A truly bizarre story

    A 13 year old boy disappears from a small town in Texas, three years later Police in Spain alert authorities in the US, against all odds it appears that child has been found....or has he?

    I watched this 'movie' not knowing very little about it, and after 10 minutes or so I was puzzled, is this a mocu-mentary or based on a true story? surely it couldn't be as the story was so bizarre!!

    Filmed in the same style as the TV show 'Banged Up Abroad', part interview clips with the real people, part reconstructed key moments with actors, this is a quite astonishing story and well worth a viewing.
    • rjwilliams5150
    • Nov 29, 2012
    • Permalink

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ18

    • How long is The Imposter?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 24, 2012 (United Kingdom)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Avalon (Spain)
      • Official Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • El impostor
    • Filming locations
      • San Antonio, Texas, USA
    • Production companies
      • 24 Seven Productions
      • A&E IndieFilms
      • Channel 4
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $898,317
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $22,379
      • Jul 15, 2012
    • Gross worldwide
      • $3,001,877
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Imposter (2012)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Imposter (2012) officially released in India in Hindi?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2024 by IMDb.com, Inc.