Storyline:The amazing true story of Frédéric Bourdin, who after having plundered all the centers for runaway minors and deliquents in Europe, even thought he has come of age, now passes himself off as Nicholas Barclay, a 13-year-old American who had vanished three years ago. To his astonishment, Nicholas's family welcomes him like their son, leaving Interpol and the FBI aghast. It is the beginning of a race against time for the investigators, family and Bourdin. But who is manipulating whom? And who is Frederic Bourdin in reality?
Synopsis:
A family welcomes home a missing child, but he may not be all he seems to be in this suspense drama. Nicholas Barclay was a thirteen year old living in Louisiana with his family when he mysteriously disappeared, and though his mother Kimberley (Ellen Barkin) and sister Kathy (Emilie de Ravin) have been hopeful he'll be found, after three years it seems increasingly unlikely. To their surprise, Nicholas (Marc-André Grondin) returns home one day, claiming he'd been kidnapped by child predators but finally escaped. Kimberley and Kathy are overjoyed and welcome him home with open arms. But Nicholas's brother-in-law Brian (Brian Geraghty) senses this young man isn't really Nicholas, and Jennifer Johnson (Famke Janssen), an FBI agent looking into the case, shares his suspicions. But if Brian and Jennifer are convinced Nicholas is an imposter, why aren't Kimberley and Kathy willing to acknowledge the same evidence? Based on a true story, The Chameleon was the first English-language feature from French director Jean-Paul Salomé.
Movie Review:
1 September 2010 | by joelcuerrier-1 (Mtl, QC)
I have seen this movie yesterday and the director went on to ask that we post reviews of his movie on this very site during the Q&A, so I shall oblige. The heart of the problem seem to be that his vision was rejected by the producers and that the final cut done by the producers is such a disgrace that he is going around in festivals to show his own cut.
When I asked him if or when the movie would be released in North-America, he answered that it would most likely go directly to DVD, which is a shame cause it really was a tense, effective thriller, faithful to the real events it depict in a stylistically gorgeous mastery. It is a psychological thriller with great actors and a subtly photographed scenery of the deep south, in the down and dirty poor neighborhood of the drugged and drunk underclass. Of course, it isn't really uplifting, but the characters are real people playing out their desperation. The narrative is well constructed and keep you interested through out, especially in the case you had no idea about the event it portrays, you'll get drawn to it only through the sheer magnetism of the central character, who also happen to be despicable in many ways, like everyone else around him.
So, let's hope you'll get a chance to see this, the way it was intended to be seen. The director's cut wasn't longish or uselessly shocking, one part that was deleted involved the main character shaving his whole body in the first scene. Perhaps, for the prude and easily upset, it could be disturbing, but isn't that key to building tension in a thriller, to disturb the audience. This first scene should be in the movie, cause it is key to the psychology of the main character. Seeing a grown man shave the hair off his chest shouldn't be cause for concern, especially these days when many men are doing it to follow a trend that made hairy men undesirable. It's a surprising scene, as it is something I never seen depicted on screen, but I don't believe it would offend neither men nor women. There is no actual nudity and very little violence in this movie.
To conclude, if you have a chance and it is playing in a festival near you, try to see it and review it too. I believe it should get to be seen and get a proper distribution. It's a solid thriller that wasn't just meant to do the festival circuit.
Main Cast And Crew
Cast: Emilie de Ravin, Marc-André Grondin, Emilie de Ravin, Famke Janssen And Others
Director: Jean-Paul Salome
Writers: Jean-Paul Salomé, Natalie Carter
Production Co: Lleju Productions, Loma Nasha, Gordonstreet Pictures
Release Date: 06/10/2011
Rating: R
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Genre: Drama, Biography, Thriller
Country: Canada | France | USA
Language: English | French | Spanish
Release Date: 10 June 2011 (USA)
Also Known As: Le caméléon
Filming Locations: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Watch Online Movie Trailer:
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