SXSW Review: The Imposter

in

The Imposter

Truth is often stranger than fiction. And sometimes true stories are filled with outrageous lies. The Imposter is a convoluted documentary so outrageous it will leave you asking questions that no one involved in the story seems able to conceive. But don't try to learn more about The Imposter before viewing -- see the film cold, you'll appreciate both its flaws and its strengths better.

The premise is simple enough. The family of a missing Texas boy has waited years for news of his fate. It comes from the most unexpected place: Spain, where he's been found alive. But what happens next is more astounding; despite the fact his accent has changed and he looks different, the family -- and others -- accept him and bring him home. What then unfolds is a mind-boggling cocktail of hubris, ego and delusion worthy of a Coen brothers script in a blend of confessional-type dialogue and re-enactments.

About halfway through, you've now got enough information to realize you've probably heard about the story; it was so provocative it kept cooler conspiracy theorists mesmerized for weeks. It was a story that captured national attention. But like most stories that do, it falls below the fold, and stops being news, even without a real resolution. And as Paul Harvey says, "the rest of the story" is full of twists and reversals -- and in the case of The Imposter, sympathies will continuously re-align as more is revealed.

The frustrating part of The Imposter is that the more everyone reveals their side of the story, the more questions the audience will have -- and not have  answered. We only have the word of the participants and the re-enactments based on them to form any opinions. No objective experts can provide context; all the experts in the documentary are directly involved with the case, and clearly biased.

Throughout most of the film, The Imposter feels like a news special, without the talking heads to tease the audience along. It works for most of the film, because of the compelling story. It's a provocative tale. But ultimately The Imposter is unsatisfying because there are no definitive answers involved, but it doesn't provide enough context.

The Imposter screens three more times at SXSW.

Texas connections: The family that is the subject of the documentary is in San Antonio, Texas.