The dramatizations look real enough that some viewers initially mistake them for actual footage of the events.

The transition between interview and dramatization is not always clearly signaled.

The effect is to put the viewer in a position somewhat analogous to that of the people who were deceived by Bourdin: uncertain about what is real, relying on contextual cues to determine whether what they are seeing is genuine.

This is a formally sophisticated move that has drawn both admiration and criticism.

Admirers note that it creates an appropriate epistemological uncertainty — the film makes you feel, briefly, the difficulty of knowing what is real.