Changeling

A sure Best Picture and Best Actress Nominee

Don’t be confused. Clint Eastwood’s new film Changeling is not a remake of the 1980 ghost child movie The Changeling. Changeling is based on the true story of the mysterious 1928 missing child case that uncovered a large, public Los Angeles police corruption scandal.

Angelina Jolie gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Christine Collins, the single mother of an abducted nine-year-old boy who works just as hard at finding her kid as the corrupt L.A.P.D. investigators.

Five months after the boy’s disappearance, the police tell Christine that they’ve found her son. But when he returns home, Christine’s hope is shattered when she realizes it’s not her son. And because the L.A.P.D. doesn’t want to admit their mistake, they use their power to silence her by placing her in a mental institution.

That’s only the beginning of the film. The rest of the movie takes you through the scandal as well as a grizzly child murder case in the hopes that the fate of the Collins boy might be revealed there.

Because of the disturbing and intensely graphic nature of the subject matter, Changeling is not for everyone. In some scenes, I had to tell myself, “I’m watching actors, not the real thing,” in order to not be affected by the subject matter. Unfortunately, other people in the theater could not separate themselves from it.

Other than being a little longer than necessary and Clint Eastwood’s self-written, boring and monotonous score, Changeling is an amazing film. Once again, it’s made for those with the ability to separate themselves emotionally from what they’re seeing. There’s no doubt in my mind that it will be up for a few Oscars.

Photo credit: Universal Pictures