Changeling

The story is based on true events and revolves around Christine Collins (Jolie), a strong and independent single parent who splits her life between her son and her job. Her nine-year-old son Walter (Griffith), a tough kid who takes a lot after his mother, provides her with a strong foundation. When he suddenly disappears, the entire structure of her life shatters, turning her into an emotional wreck. The police, after waiting 24 hours to see if the son would return home, begin to search for the boy. After a few months, they find him, or at least they think they did. When Collins goes to pick him up from the train station, she realizes that he is not her son. The police insist that she is wrong, that it has been a few months and that her son changed. But her motherly instinct, and the obvious lack of resemblance between this boy and her son, kept her adamant about the reality that he was not her child. At this point we begin to see the corruption of the police department, as Rev. Gustav Briegleb (Malkovich), a charismatic and influential priest, had proclaimed earlier on in the film. It is after this account of corruption that Briegleb decides to finally get involved in order to put a stop to the cruel behavior of the police force. As the story unfolds, we watch as the police perform terrible and cruel acts to hide their corruption. At one point they even end the search for the boy, despite his mother’s protest. As well, we slowly begin to learn of the deeper hidden story behind the disappearance of her son, thus introducing an additional dimension to the film.

Christine measures Walter.

Angelina Jolie was absolutely phenomenal. The emotional roller coaster she was put through was heart breaking and extremely moving. As well, her reactions and body language were superb and very realistic. Throughout the entire film I was exceptionally impressed with her skills. In addition to Jolie’s fine acting, the rest of the cast put on an amazing performance. John Malkovich, who played the authoritative priest, really shined. His strong personality and powerful voice made his issue with the police force ever more present and relevant, causing the whole ordeal to become additionally emotional and intense.

The Reverend riles up the crowd.

Compounding upon the fine acting, the art direction and the musical score were exceptional as well. The gritty, washed out, color scheme kept the focus on the story rather than the setting. As well, the refined musical score was subtle and moving, fading in and out at exactly the right moments to keep the tone and mood of the movie at the perfect level of extreme intensity.

The only minor gripes I encountered with the film were the odd occasions when a character would use a modern phrase or slang. For example, at one point a character shouted “ Hell ya!”, which seemed rather odd for someone to be saying in the late twenties. This happened a few more times, but it was hardly noticeable. There were a few other tiny, barely visible flaws, but they are too minor to take issue with.

Making their way through the crowd.

The movie was superb, despite its length. Weighing in at over 2 hours and 20 minutes, it was so engrossing that not once did I look down at my watch to check the time . It is an intense thrill ride that will throw you from sad to angry to hopeful over and over again. Though the movie shows its real strength when all three emotions hit you at once. I recommend this movie to absolutely everyone and anyone, unless you have a weak heart or stomach, in which case you might not be able to handle the sheer intensity of this film.

9.5/10