He is extraordinarily skilled at presenting himself in ways that satisfy those needs.

These are human skills, albeit developed in the service of deception.

The Documentary And The Story It Chose To Tell

Bart Layton’s 2012 documentary The Imposter is one of the most formally sophisticated documentary films of its decade, and its approach to the Bourdin story deserves specific attention because of the choices it makes about what to emphasize and how to present the complexity of the case.

The film includes extensive interviews with Bourdin himself, speaking directly to camera and apparently with full awareness of what the audience already knows about him.