Shocking, Touching & Unforgettable

Rating: 9/10 (3 April 2014)

"Changeling" is a story of a woman's search for her missing son and the outrageous treatment that she's subjected to by the deeply corrupt LAPD. The events depicted (which take place in late 1920s L.A.) are inherently shocking, touching and bizarre but also make a huge impact because this is a true story that illustrates how the actions of corrupt police officers, politicians and medical professionals can cause incredible suffering to an innocent victim of crime at a time when they're feeling at their most vulnerable. The scandalous nature of the story and its human dimension make it utterly compelling from start to finish but probably the movie's greatest achievement is the measured way in which the action's delivered and the fact that it avoids any tasteless sensationalism or unnecessary sentimentality.
Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) is a working-class, single mother whose son Walter (Gattlin Griffith) goes missing one Saturday while she's at work. After searching her neighbourhood, she reports the disappearance to the LAPD whose unhelpful and insensitive response only adds to her distress. After five months have elapsed, she receives the good news that her son has been found in Illinois and a reunion is arranged at a nearby train station. Police Captain J. J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan) invites a crowd of press reporters to witness the event so that he can gain some positive publicity to try to improve the LAPD's tarnished image but Christine's joy soon turns to disappointment when she sees that the boy at the station is not her son. She feels intimidated by the position she's been put in and so, reluctantly gives in when Captain Jones forcefully insists that she should look after the boy.
At home, Christine soon recognises that the boy who's been put into her care is actually 3 inches shorter than Walter and (unlike her son) is circumcised, but a doctor appointed by Captain Jones assures her that there are sound reasons why these changes may have happened. More compelling evidence from Walter's dental records, his teacher and his classmates again reinforce the assertion that the boy found by the police is an impostor but when Christine confronts Captain Jones on the issue, he arranges for her to be placed in a mental institution where she's humiliated and medicated and told that she'll never be released until she agrees to sign a document to say that the boy in her care is Walter.
Detective Lester Ybarra (Michael Kelly) is sent to Wineville, Riverside County to apprehend a 15-year-old Canadian boy called Sandford Clark (Eddie Alderson) who's in the country illegally. When Clark tells the detective about his forced involvement in a series of killings involving 20 victims who were all young boys, it leads to the arrest of ranch owner Gordon Northcott (Jason Butler Harner) and the strong likelihood that Walter was one of the victims.
The Reverend Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich) is a local preacher who regularly uses the pulpit and his radio broadcasts to criticise the LAPD's conduct and since the time he'd first heard about Christine's plight had consistently supported her. When he discovers that she's being held in a mental institution, he quickly finds a way to secure her release. A city council hearing into Christine's case and the trial of Gordon Northcott are then held concurrently and produce some extremely important and far-reaching outcomes.
Angelina Jolie portrays Christine's anguish, determination and growing strength very powerfully in a performance that's incredibly subtle and very affecting and although the quality of the acting is consistently good throughout this movie, the contributions of John Malkovich and Jeffrey Donovan really stand out.
"Changeling" is a beautifully photographed movie and Clint Eastwood's straightforward style of direction adds great clarity to its rather involved story. An unsettling mood prevails throughout and is very effectively enhanced by the use of a haunting piano score, an interesting colour palette and the presence of numerous shadowy interiors. "Changeling" is unquestionably a work of great substance that's also very moving and totally unforgettable.