The Imposter Film Analysis

Humans are notorious for influencing and becoming influenced by deception. The construction of Bart Layton’s 2012 documentary, The Imposter, influences my response of sympathy towards the idea that charm and lies are able to obscure a person’s judgement. The Imposter documents French con artist, Frederic Bourdin, impersonating a missing child as authorities attempt to verify his identity. Layton’s construction inclines me to believe a known liar, despite incriminating evidence. Barclay’s sister Carey Gibson’s egotistically decides to ignore reason and logic in order to perpetuate her ignorance. FBI agent Nancy Fisher’s succumbs to her emotions and empathy clouding her professional judgement in order to avoid a possible guilt ridden false accusation.
When Gibson arrives at the Spanish orphanage, Bourdin rapidly expresses his panic and distress at what he perceives to be the incoming revelation of his false identity. The sounds echo, the shots quickly alternate between the reenactment and Bourdin’s interview, and the low pitched tone in the background intensifies before it dies off as the screen goes to black, as the inevitable revelation proceeds. However, Gibson feels “this sense of immense relief. Just seeing, touching, kissing, holding him.” This is followed by Bourdin’s response of “What the hell?” The rapid transitions and the music disorients and positions me into Bourdin’s panicked state, suggesting that he perceives his own impersonation as not being sufficient to fool a person who should be able to identify their own brother from an imposter. However, he is shocked to believe that Gibson is fooled. This influences my response of sympathy towards Gibson as her desperation to reconnect with her lost brother has clouded her memory of Barclay and is content with the idea that he is alive, rather if this person is really her brother. Gibson’s dire longing to reunite with her brother is further demonstrated after a sequence of interviews incriminating the family. Gibson states that “We didn’t need to prove who he was, we knew who he was.” A long pause follows and Fisher reveals that the family requires further investigation. Gibson’s denial to apply reason and logic to credit who ‘Barclay’ is, further elucidates her despondency. The long pause and suspicion suggests that Gibson’s animosity is obscuring her judgement and allowing her to live ignorant of a harrowing truth. This further influences my response of sympathy Gibson’s decision to succumb to deceit in order to be