Lost then found and then lost again

Missing person: The Imposter has an element of surprise. Source: Supplied

MOVIE REVIEW: The brain-melting story chronicled by this mesmerising documentary zeroes in on that elusive point where the too-good-to-be-true becomes the too-sad-to-even-think-about.

In 1994, a 13-year-old boy named Nicholas Barclay went missing in rural Texas. The police never found a single lead in their investigation.

In 1997, Nicholas Barclay came home. Police in Spain found him wandering the streets, saying he had been abused as the victim of a child abduction ring. In the annals of modern crime, this was beyond a miracle.

As the title of the film clearly signals, the Nicholas Barclay who went back to Texas was not the same person. He looked markedly different. He spoke with a pan-European accent. Though no one knew at the time, he was also 23 years old.

Nevertheless, the Barclays had no doubt in their minds that their boy was back. Top-line law-enforcement officials in the US and Spain believed everything checked out.

And then? Let's stop right there. The Imposter functions best when repeatedly springing an imposing, in-built element of surprise.

Think of it as a real-life psychological thriller.

SEE The Imposter, now playing for a limited season at Cinema Nova

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The Imposter [M]

Rating: 4/5

Director: Bart Layton (documentary debut)

Starring: Beverly Dollarhide, Frederic Bourdin, Carey Gibson, Bryan Gibson

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