Clint Eastwood is America's most discerning and exacting director; fittingly, everything in "Changeling" is portrayed in a meticulous way, allowing the audience to be swept up in the drama of this historic tale. Angelina Jolie flips audiences' perceptions of her by believably portraying a single mother from the 1920s who has lost her son. She inhabits the role of the upset woman with persistent but quiet inner strength. The film is unflinchingly frightening as a true crime story but beautifully rendered by a national filmmaking treasure. "Changeling" is that much more shocking because of its basis in truth.
Jolie is Christine Collins, a working mother of a 9-year-old boy. Christine goes into work unexpectedly to cover a shift and leaves her son home alone. When she returns to her nice, safe neighborhood, Walter is missing. Months later, a boy is returned to Christine by the notoriously corrupt L.A. police force; however, the child is not her Walter. No one, including the cops, will believe her when she insists he is not her son. She needs the help of a crusading minister (John Malkovich) and her own righteous spirit to see justice done and her boy found.
The L.A. police refuse to consider Christine's version of events, taking discrimination to an extreme by ostracizing and discrediting her. The exasperation of her dilemma results in emotional outbursts that feel authentic. Jolie rightfully receives an Oscar nomination for her performance here.
The story could have been simply delivered as a crime drama, but the added layers of mystery and a tale of persecution give Eastwood's film depth. Watching the film, you will not only want to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy but will need to see vindication for Christine and her plight. Eastwood manages to make "Changeling" melodramatic without manipulating the audience's emotions for an easy tear. The movie was so good, with so many elements masterfully tied up at the end, that a viewer could be forgiven for not wanting the story to stop.
Rated R for some violent and disturbing content and language.
