The Chameleon (film)
Encyclopedia
The Chameleon is a 2010 film directed by Jean-Paul Salomé
. The screenplay by Natalie Carter is based upon the true story of Frédéric Bourdin
who impersonated a missing child named Nicholas Barclay in San Antonio, Texas
in the 1990s. Much of the true story was incorporated into the film although the years have been altered and the location was moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana
.
) in Spain
shaves off all his body hair and turns himself into the police. The man claims to be a 16 year old boy from Louisiana
named Nicholas Mark Randall, who had been missing for four years. His story is that he was kidnapped by a child prostitution ring
in France who physically altered his appearance, including changing his eye color.
He is reunited with his family who immediately have their suspicions regarding his story. His mother (Ellen Barkin
) and half brother Brendan (Nick Stahl
) do not seem to accept him, and many questions are open regarding whether this man could in fact be their lost family member, considering he does not look anything like the boy who left and now talks with a French accent. His sister Kathy (Emilie de Ravin
) accepts his story without hesitation and eventually so does his possible mother.
F.B.I. Agent Jennifer Johnson (Famke Janssen
) strongly suspects that he is lying because she has had extensive experiences with people lying to her, including a man who was a child murderer whom she had dated. Meanwhile, his story starts to unravel and the true story of what happened to Nicholas starts to emerge.
Stephen Holden
of The New York Times
:
Aaron Hillis of The Village Voice
:
Jean-Paul Salomé
Jean-Paul Salomé is a French director.- Selected filmography :*1994 Les Braqueuses with Clémentine Célarié, Catherine Jacob and Annie Girardot...
. The screenplay by Natalie Carter is based upon the true story of Frédéric Bourdin
Frederic Bourdin
Frédéric Bourdin is a French serial impostor the press has nicknamed "The Chameleon".According to himself, his lawyer and the press reports, Bourdin was raised by his grandparents in Paris and was later put into a children's home...
who impersonated a missing child named Nicholas Barclay in San Antonio, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the 1990s. Much of the true story was incorporated into the film although the years have been altered and the location was moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
.
Plot
A young man (Marc-André GrondinMarc-André Grondin
Marc-André Grondin is a Canadian actor, most noted for his performance as Zachary Beaulieu in Jean-Marc Vallée's film C.R.A.Z.Y. , for which he won a Jutra award.-Movie career:...
) in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
shaves off all his body hair and turns himself into the police. The man claims to be a 16 year old boy from Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
named Nicholas Mark Randall, who had been missing for four years. His story is that he was kidnapped by a child prostitution ring
Prostitution of children
Prostitution of children or child prostitution is the commercial sexual exploitation of children in which a child performs the services of prostitution, for financial benefit. The term normally refers to prostitution by a minor, or person under the local age of majority...
in France who physically altered his appearance, including changing his eye color.
He is reunited with his family who immediately have their suspicions regarding his story. His mother (Ellen Barkin
Ellen Barkin
Ellen Barkin is an American film, television and theatre actress.-Early life:She was born Ellen Rona Barkin in Bronx, a borough of New York City, New York, the daughter of Evelyn , a hospital administrator who worked at Jamaica Hospital, and Sol Barkin, a chemical salesman...
) and half brother Brendan (Nick Stahl
Nick Stahl
Nicolas Kent "Nick" Stahl is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face and then embarked on a successful career as a child actor...
) do not seem to accept him, and many questions are open regarding whether this man could in fact be their lost family member, considering he does not look anything like the boy who left and now talks with a French accent. His sister Kathy (Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin born 27 December 1981)is an Australian actress. She is commonly associated with her roles as Tess Harding on Roswell and Claire Littleton on the ABC drama Lost....
) accepts his story without hesitation and eventually so does his possible mother.
F.B.I. Agent Jennifer Johnson (Famke Janssen
Famke Janssen
Famke Beumer Janssen is a Dutch actress and former fashion model. She is known for playing the villainous Bond girl Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye and Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men film series .- Early life and education :...
) strongly suspects that he is lying because she has had extensive experiences with people lying to her, including a man who was a child murderer whom she had dated. Meanwhile, his story starts to unravel and the true story of what happened to Nicholas starts to emerge.
Cast
- Marc-André GrondinMarc-André GrondinMarc-André Grondin is a Canadian actor, most noted for his performance as Zachary Beaulieu in Jean-Marc Vallée's film C.R.A.Z.Y. , for which he won a Jutra award.-Movie career:...
as Frederic Fortin / Nicholas Mark RandallFrederic BourdinFrédéric Bourdin is a French serial impostor the press has nicknamed "The Chameleon".According to himself, his lawyer and the press reports, Bourdin was raised by his grandparents in Paris and was later put into a children's home... - Famke JanssenFamke JanssenFamke Beumer Janssen is a Dutch actress and former fashion model. She is known for playing the villainous Bond girl Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye and Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men film series .- Early life and education :...
as F.B.I. Agent Jennifer Johnson - Ellen BarkinEllen BarkinEllen Barkin is an American film, television and theatre actress.-Early life:She was born Ellen Rona Barkin in Bronx, a borough of New York City, New York, the daughter of Evelyn , a hospital administrator who worked at Jamaica Hospital, and Sol Barkin, a chemical salesman...
as Kimberly Miller - Emilie de RavinEmilie de RavinEmilie de Ravin born 27 December 1981)is an Australian actress. She is commonly associated with her roles as Tess Harding on Roswell and Claire Littleton on the ABC drama Lost....
as Kathy Jansen - Tory KittlesTory KittlesTory Kittles is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as Malibu's Most Wanted, Get Rich or Die Tryin, Next, and Miracle at St...
as Dan Price - Brian GeraghtyBrian GeraghtyBrian Timothy Geraghty is an American film and television actor, best known for his role in the Academy Award winning film The Hurt Locker.-Early life:Geraghty was born in Toms River Township, New Jersey, and is of Irish ancestry...
as Brian Jansen - Nick StahlNick StahlNicolas Kent "Nick" Stahl is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face and then embarked on a successful career as a child actor...
as Brendan Kerrigan
Critical reception
The film received mostly mixed to negative reviews from major critics. The website metacritic.com, which assigns a normalized score to film reviews, gave the film a 41 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews".Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden is an American writer, music critic, film critic, and poet.Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
:
Aaron Hillis of The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
: