The Imposter

In San Antonio in 1994, 13-year-old Nicholas Patrick Barclay disappeared. Three years later, his family received a call saying a teenager picked up by police was claiming to be Nicholas.

The call came from Spain, an unlikely place for the boy to wind up. Nicholas was a blond; this young man had black hair eventually covered by a brassy dye job. The supposed American had a French accent that would do Jean Dujardin proud. Most awkward of all, the claimant’s eyes were nearly black — and Nicholas had blue eyes.

The family accepted the man on sight.

And that counts as only about the fourth-most bizarre revelation in “The Imposter,” Bart Layton’s film about the case. That the young man wasn’t Nicholas is not only in the title, it’s discussed from the opening minutes by the imposter himself, with zero remorse. Also on camera are Nicholas’ sister, his mother and other family members, as well as officials. Common sense appears quite late, in the fantastic form of a grizzled Texan private investigator with a name so wonderful it should not be spoiled.

Despite a bunch of fourth-wall-breaking re-enactments, the look is consistent with most TV true-crime stories. But the way Layton parcels out information makes this story as strange and fascinating as anyone could desire. See it and marvel that the least plausible lies are the ones we tell ourselves.