The Imposter 

This unsettling documentary tells the story of French con man Frederic Bourdin, who in 1997 impersonated a missing Texas teenager and lied his way into the U.S. Despite Bourdin's accent, his total lack of physical resemblance to Nicholas, and his outrageous story of kidnapping and amnesia, he succeeds for a time. The story is inherently fascinating, but that's apparently not enough for director Bart Layton. The film employs stylized audio and video treatments throughout, plus some highly suspect narrative ploys to generate suspense. When the shovel-wielding private investigator shows up for his Geraldo Rivera moment, you know you're getting jerked around. The filmmakers don't trust their material, which is a shame. In the person of Bourdin, they've got a world-class maniac staring down the lens. By Glenn McDonald