Simon Dillon reviews the edge-of-the-seat, armrest gripping thriller

The best thriller of the year may turn out to be The Imposter with its edge-of-the-seat, armrest gripping suspense. What's even more remarkable is that The Imposter is a documentary, based on the gobsmackingly improbable true story of a French conman who posed as a thirteen year old Texan boy who was reported missing in 1994.

Nicholas Barclay had been gone for three years before apparently turning up in Spain in 1997, claiming to have been abducted by a sex trafficking ring. Upon seeing him, his overjoyed family accepted that he was who he claimed to be without question, supposing he would have inevitably changed appearance and behaviour as a result of the passage of time and his alleged ordeal. But then a private investigator began to ask questions.

At this point, I cannot possibly reveal anymore, suffice to say that the subsequent mind-boggling twists and turns of director Bart Layton's extraordinary, nail-biting film uncover what are frankly film noir levels of deception. In fact, this has more in common with The Talented Mr Ripley and Changeling (which was also based on fact) than other documentaries, with the notable exception of 2010's Catfish - another true-life account of weapons grade deceit. If you are unfamiliar with the case surrounding The Imposter (as I was) then I recommend remaining that way until you have seen it. And you must see it.

Since truth is what is at stake in this film, it is ironic that it is ultimately ambiguity that elevates The Imposter into something truly exceptional. Given that Layton secured interviews with everyone concerned - including Frederic Bourdin, the imposter himself - it eventually becomes apparent that they are not always reliable narrators, for all kinds of potentially horrifying reasons. It is left to the audience to draw their own conclusions in a manner that is inevitable, frustrating and very well judged in that it underlines the entire point of the documentary in it's implied but riveting condemnation of all the deceptions perpetuated.

This is absolutely essential viewing even for those who usually don't bother seeing documentaries in the cinema (trust me, this benefits from a big screen). As an insight into the nature of deception it provides very penetrating insights both as to the motives of the deceiver (in this case, a universal human need for love and family) and for the deceived (desperation - for many reasons - to believe something is true, even when it blatantly isn't). In short, The Imposter provides some of the most compelling, devastating and thought-provoking evidence for the human capacity to be hoodwinked.