The Imposter (2012, Picturehouse Entertainment)

Algerian Frenchman Frédéric Bourdin is a man guilty of assuming at least 39 false identities in his lifetime. The documentary 'The Imposter' follows the story of his 5 month stint impersonating missing 13-year old American boy Nicholas Barclay and how he managed to convince and then alienate the Nicholas's family and American authorities as to his identity. A fascinating tale about a broken man playing on broken hearts this documentary includes interviews with the real-life players in this story including Bourdin himself, the family of the missing teen and the FBI agent who eventually uncovered the truth. Interspersed with beautifully shot recreated segments with actors. Currently playing at film festivals worldwide.

Cloud Atlas (2012, Warner Bros. Pictures)

Can anyone tell me what the hell this film is about? A five minute trailer for 'Cloud Atlas' was released today but it does little to help explain the concept behind the movie. Rather I was left feeling confused but somehow intrigued. At first I thought it was a indeterminate time film that used the same actors playing different characters through different centuries such as Aranofsky's 'The Fountain' or an abstraction of a similar idea in a broader context such as Malick's 'The Tree of Life' but it appears that it focuses more on a single action that has repercussions throughout history.

As the directors described in a commentary, the trailer had to be 5 minutes as there was so much to explain.
I was almost relieved to hear that one of the directors (yes there are three) is none other than Lana Wachowski of the Wachowskis, the duo that came up with the epic The Matrix Trilogy that I never really fully understood either.

It remains to be seen whether the film will really conquer all the genres it claims to embody or whether it will become a horribly self-indulgent piece of art.

US release date is set for the 26th October this year.