MovieChat Forums > The Imposter (2012) Discussion > Did the family do it?

Did the family do it?

posted 12 years ago by diorlouboutin
42 replies | jump to latest

I've thought about it a lot since I saw the movie back in March. You get this call saying that the little boy you KNOW is dead is actually alive, and what do you say? If you in fact did kill him-- You can't tell them you know for sure the boy is dead because to the world he is still missing. But why couldn't they have simply questioned that the boy was who he said he was? He clearly looked and sounded different so everyone would've understood their doubts, and obviously if they asked for a DNA test (or I kept thinking--dental records?) they could get one and prove it wasn't him. I don't think that would've made anyone question the family or suddenly suspect a homicide.

Have there been any other cases like this? I feel like 99% of people would say if only a couple of years have passed, they would know if they are looking into the eyes of their own child. I suppose there could be some level of denial, but it's just so hard to believe.

And remember what Frederic said Jason (the brother)'s reaction was to him? It was really really suspicious. Based on that account, Jason seemed to be the only one who couldn't keep up the "charade"

[–] MrCottonsParrot 12 years ago

I do think Jason had something to do with Nick's "disappearance". There were two big coincidences regarding that: He killed himself once they FBI got suspicious, the mother was reluctant to have a DNA test.

You say:

But why couldn't they have simply questioned that the boy was who he said he was?

But what if there were rumors going around from their neighbors?

The family had a history of trouble, and if Jason did kill Nick, then local people might have had their suspicions, and made accusations.

Imagine how relieved you would be to shut those nighbors up?!!

Whether the family knew the full truth of what happened to him or not, having this new Nicolas back in their lives would have seemed like a godsend.

Also, as much a liar as Frederick was, he was very intelligent and could read people very well. I think he was onto something when he said "they killed him".

But I don't accept the sister being persistant in the beginning, as being evidence that she knew he was not her brother.

Her insisting that he "remember" the people in the family photos would still be plausible even if she did believe he was Nicolas. When I used to show my forgetful Nana photos, I would dictate to her who was who, in the hope that she would remember, too! I imagine you would do the same if not more so, when someone is suffering from amnesia, as Frederick claimed.

"Champagne for my real friends, and real pain for my sham friends..."

[–] ethermusic1981 11 years ago

Her insisting that he "remember" the people in the family photos would still be plausible even if she did believe he was Nicolas. When I used to show my forgetful Nana photos, I would dictate to her who was who, in the hope that she would remember, too! I imagine you would do the same if not more so, when someone is suffering from amnesia, as Frederick claimed.

Good point.

[–] Belletrist0 11 years ago

It's hard to tell either way. On the one hand, the family's unquestioning acceptance of Frédéric could be put down to the excitement of having Nicholas back. Realistically speaking, what are the chances of a twenty-something con-man from France pretending to be your long-lost son/brother/uncle? Or even knowing that a Nicholas Barclay from the United States was missing?

Just on that aspect alone, I could see the sister "forcing" Frédéric to be Nicholas not to protect a cover-up, but simply because it would be too agonizing to admit that their strongest hope to date was false. Their emotional wounds were bleeding again.

originally posted by MrCottonsParrot:
Also, as much a liar as Frederick was, he was very intelligent and could read people very well. I think he was onto something when he said "they killed him".

Good point. This guy had an uncanny gift for reading body language and people's thoughts based off their body language. I could only imagine his surprise when he recognized that something was off in regards to their interaction with "Nicholas", and when he realized that they killed him. This could explain why he was acting out so much towards the end. He knew they knew he was a fake, and the game wasn't fun anymore. By acting outrageous, he was trying to force their upper hand to throw him out.

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[–] outterspaces 12 years ago

It has to be the family.
What bothered me most is how they accepted his appearance. That alone is enough to sound the alarm. A 13 yo can grow tall and will certainly develop some other features within a 3-year period but his face will not change much.. a slight transition from boyish to adolescent but (some of) the baby face will still be there. He said they (the captors) tortured the children and forbid them from speaking English ever again and with this he was explaining his difficulties with the language. It's curious that he didn't forget words, phrases, names... all he did was gain European English with a french accent.

[–] cordovachick05 12 years ago

I don't think the family did it. First off, this family was very rural and what I got from the interviews they weren't well educated. They were desperate. I can't imagine how desperate I would be to find a missing loved one. They didn't know about the science of his accent or how his physical attributes couldn't have changed. Plus, they were told that it was him, so why would they question it? I think the family was desperate to find their son so they made themselves believe it was him. When someone is delusional they would go through great lengths to protect that delusion...

Secondly, the imposer guy is a compulsive liar. Yea when he was arrested he "had nothing left to lose" but I think he lied about the family to make them seem less like victims to make himself look better. "Oh I may have lied but THEY KILLED SOMEONE." He was a narcissist, it was all about him.

Also, the brother. The imposter guys guy (if he was telling the truth) said that the brother wouldn't look at him very much... I thought about this a lot, and don't you think the brother probably blamed himself? I mean if it were me, I would feel guilty for not waking my mother up to go get him. Maybe he felt responsible for the disappearance.

Anyway, just my thoughts.

[–] Tgogators 12 years ago

If the family had something to do with it, I think it would only be one member. That many people knowing what happened and not one of them cracked yet or no holes or inconsistencies between their stories. Smoke would have come out by now.

As admitted, the family was targeted at pretty much random. They wanted to believe that it was their son, denial as an extremely powerful and very destructive emotion. People can deny to themselves anything and really and truly believe it. It's beyond heart-wrenching to have no closure to a family member that is a missing person and more so to suspect that they may not be who they say they are. I can understand the emotion of not wanting to face it.

Despite extensive investigating there is no evidence of any wrong doing from his family.

And ha, Frederic, I wouldn't trust this man to give me change for a dollar. He is an extreme sociopath (within the next 20 years, I'm pretty sure this is going to be clearly defined as a mental disorder) with a an extreme personality disorder. His sociopath tendencies are on the level of Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacey. He doesn't feel empathy or pain for anyone but himself. Once he is exposed, he has a tiny rebound and goes right back into it. And he is now married? I don't see why someone who knew who he was would love him, he doesn't truly love them back. I would seriously count your fingers after shaking hands with him. Hence, I do not believe any word he says about the family or his suspicion of something happening to the real Nicholas Barclay.

I sincerely hope that Nicholas Barclay can get justice one day.

[–] Sadiddy 11 years ago

No, I don't think the family was in on it and I think it was very irresponsible to imply that they were. I was really annoyed by the three lie detector tests given to the mother. That's why I don't trust cops at all.

"I've lost people before, so when I care about someone I plant a tracking device on them."

[–] kairingler 11 years ago

yea I totally agree,, this was one strange movie,, but very good I must say.

are you going to bark all day little doggie,, or are you going to bite

[–] sdwilson79 11 years ago

FWIW, my theory based on what we are presented in the movie.

When Nicholas apparently calls for a lift home the mother is said to be sleeping (although later it is implied she and Jason were heavy drug users, so that may have been "sleeping"). Nicholas makes his own way home to where his sleeping/"sleeping" mother and Jason are the only ones at home.

Something happens, either a blow-up from Nicholas at Jason for not picking him up, or Nicholas returns to find his mother and Jason "sleeping" and with drug paraphernalia lying around. There is either a row/fight in the first scenario that ends with Nicholas dying accidentally or purposely or he decides to try the drugs, or take some if he is already around that scene, and overdoses.

Jason either wakes to find an OD'd kid, or finds himself with a dead kid brother after whatever fight/row may have happened - he then disposes of the body, either with the knowledge of the mother or not, and reports that he never came home after calling for a lift. He then tells the police that Nicholas came back to try and break in a few weeks later to plant the notion that Nicholas is still out there.

That theory could be completely wrong, maybe he was abducted, maybe he just ran away. I don't think there is clear and conclusive evidence that this was the case, but the body language of the mother and the information we are presented with regarding Jason gives a lot of weight to that theory.

I think it is unlikely, but not impossible, that the sister knew what happened but I think she probably had a vague idea and the idea that Frederic's arrival would blot out the belief that maybe her brother had been killed by her own relatives led her to believe so strongly when the evidence was so obvious that it wasn't him.

[–] halomaniac88 11 years ago

Maybe they are just really really stupid.

[–] lornamd-1 10 years ago

I believe we don't know, but it's possible the family believed it was him cause they wanted so badly to believe it.