The Imposter: parents' guide
Best for ages 15 and up. Rated R for language.
A gripping, eerie documentary for older teens about a French con man who in 1997 convinced a Texas family he was their son, a boy who had vanished at 13. Nothing graphic is shown, but the impostor describes being kidnapped, tortured and sexually abused as a child, stories that turn out to be lies, and the film raises the grim possibility that the real boy was killed. The family's drug problems and a brother's fatal overdose are also discussed. Expect about 15 f-words. The R is for language; that and the unsettling subject are why we suggest 15.
What's in it
Violence
StrongNothing graphic is shown, but the impostor's invented account of a child being kidnapped, sexually abused and tortured, including broken hands and feet, is told in detail. The missing boy's fate, possibly murder, hangs over the story.
Language
StrongMovieguide counted about 15 f-words among two dozen obscenities, plus s-words, ass and asshole, mostly in interviews.
Sex and nudity
MildNo sex or nudity. Sexual content is limited to the verbal claims of child sexual abuse described under violence.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateSome cigarette smoking on screen. No drug use is shown, but interviewees say the missing boy's older brother was a drug addict who pulled their mother into drugs, and that he later died of an overdose after leaving rehab.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateIncreasingly creepy. The impostor's calm manipulation, a family accepting a stranger as their son, and hints that the boy may have been killed build real unease. Moody reenactments add tension but no violence.
Sensitive topics
- Child abuse
- Death of a child
- Addiction
- Overdose
Worth talking about
Ask why the family and officials accepted such an unlikely story, and how wanting something to be true can cloud judgment.
On our lists
Similar picks around 15+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against the MPA, bbfc.co.uk, movieguide.org, Wikipedia, springfieldspringfield.co.uk. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.