Revelation Film Festival Review

It’s a parent’s worst nightmare.

In 1994, 13-year-old Nicolas Barclay goes missing from his home in Texas. As the years pass, his distraught family’s hopes of finding him alive turn to hopes of finding his body. Then on October 7, 1997 they receive the phone call they’ve all but given up hope of getting – Nicolas is alive. He is scared and shaken, and has been subject to an inordinate amount of abuse, but he’s alive.
He’s also thousands of kilometers from home, in Linares, Spain.
Despite numerous physical differences, such as the acquisition of a French accent and a change in eye colour, he is welcomed home by family and friends and tries to rebuild his life back home.
This provides the basis for the astonishing documentary, The Imposter, a fascinating documentary that takes the concept “truth is stranger than fiction” to a whole new level.

The cinema was jam-packed!

As the name suggests, all is not as it seems, and the story only gets more mind-boggling as it unfolds. It’s dark and twisted, yet while predominately a psychological thriller, there’s also a measured dose of comic relief, particularly through the inclusion of Charlie Parker, a private investigator looking into the boy’s reappearance.

Director Bart Layton’s unique deliverance of this remarkable story, paired with its captivating real-life characters ensured its official selection for the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
The documentary raises more questions than it answers, leaving you torn over where your loyalties lie – with the boy or with the family. Perhaps the promotional poster sums it up best: “There are two sides to every lie”.
The Revelation Perth International Film Festival showcases an impressive range of local and worldwide cinema at the Astor Theatre annually in July. It’s the perfect opportunity to grab a culture fix while keeping toasty warm with hot buttered popcorn in hand. I highly recommend putting it on your must-do list for 2013.

The Astor Theatre

Melburnians have a chance to check out The Imposter at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August. For more details, click here.