Review of The Imposter (2012) by Jake C — 17 Oct 2018
A gripping page-turner (or reel-spinner, I suppose) of a documentary, brilliantly blending candid, heartbreaking interviews with the real subjects of the story, and narrative reenactments shot with a true eye for cinematic aesthetics.
In the vein of F FOR FAKE, for example, the result transcends generic expectations of what makes for an honest and objective documentary, forcing the audience to question what truths they are willing to believe and how they came to be convinced this way or that.
In a sense, then, this is less a documentary about historical facts or a narrative feature about compelling characters than is a study in rhetoric, the art of persuasion-why do we so readily fall for liars, and why, despite the ostensible thrust of documentary filmmaking toward factuality, are we so hesitant to admit truth? Are not both-truth and lies-rhetorical constructs of which we need to be convinced? And how do we come to be persuaded when there is no master rhetor, no primordial agent, no super sujet-supposé-savoir who is in control of the facts here, the con as much a victim of the whims of his marks as they are of his?
This review of The Imposter (2012) was written by Jake C on 17 Oct 2018.
The Imposter has generally received very positive reviews.
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