The 2012 documentary about a Frenchman impersonating a missing Texas teenager is The Imposter.
Directed by Bart Layton, the film investigates the extraordinary case of Frédéric Bourdin, a French confidence trickster who claimed to be Nicholas Barclay, a 13-year-old Texas boy who disappeared in 1994. In 1997, Bourdin was discovered in Spain and successfully presented himself as the missing American teenager, despite being seven years older and having different hair, eye color, and an unmistakable French accent.
The documentary combines interviews with Bourdin, members of the Barclay family, investigators, archival news footage, and carefully staged dramatic reconstructions. Bourdin created an elaborate backstory, including claims that he had been abducted and abused, while several officials and relatives accepted his identity. Suspicion from private investigator Charlie Parker and FBI agent Nancy Fisher eventually helped expose the deception.
The title can be confused with Catch Me If You Can, a dramatized film about Frank Abagnale Jr., or The Pretender, a fictional television series. The Imposter is a nonfiction crime documentary, although its reenactments and thriller-like structure give it the atmosphere of a mystery film. It was later shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Documentary.