When it comes to choosing a title for a movie, sometimes the director’s choice is such a perfect illustration of the film’s theme, it’s eerie. In European folklore, a changeling is the offspring of a fairy, troll or elf that has been secretly left in the place of a human child. This fantastical and bizarre concept paints the ideal picture for the surreal fight for truth that occurs in the powerful and thought-provoking “Changeling.”
As a director, Clint Eastwood (“Letters from Iwo Jima”) is the best in the business at using well-timed precision and masterful camerawork to carefully unfold a story. This classical approach to filmmaking certainly comes in handy when creating a period piece because it gives the film an authentic feel. Although at times the film takes too long to develop and suffers a few dry, dreary spells between relevant scenes, this is a result of choosing newcomer J. Michael Straczynski to write the screenplay, not because Eastwood’s experienced methods backfired.
Straczynski, who is the creator of the sci-fi TV show “Babylon 5,” is an odd choice to begin with, and he clearly shows an inability to keep the plot moving for the entirety of a full-length film. Thankfully, this film is based on a true story so the entire plot doesn’t fall victim to Straczynski’s untrained screenwriting abilities.
Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie, “Wanted”) is a single mother and full-time employee who arrives home one evening to learn that her son has vanished. Before long, the police commit to finding her child. Upon being reunited, Collins claims the boy is not her son. It soon becomes clear that the new child is an imposter, and Collins is forced to fight back against a notoriously corrupt police force — led by Capt. J.J. Jones (Jeffery Donovan, “Hitch”) — who insist the child is Collins’ so they can come off as heroes.
What makes this film such a stirring period thriller is its shocking and grueling theme. Much like Eastwood’s past works such as “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Unforgiven,” this film deals with the thin line that can exist between truth and lies, and the difficulties that come with exposing hypocrisy in order to have justice. Eastwood expertly showcases these dilemmas through the onscreen relationship between the police, Collins and the press. Throughout the movie, the Los Angeles Police Department disturbingly spins Collins’ story so the press will unknowingly cover up the department’s deceitful actions, leaving Collins to overcome society’s feeble image of women on the way to achieving righteousness.
The film also manages to accurately capture the era and tone through the use of exceptional cinematography. With a focus on architecture, transportation (cable cars in specific) and background, the film’s creators do an excellent job in their reconstruction of ’20s Los Angeles. These extra steps aid in drawing the audience into the story and make the film’s outrageous revelations more realistic.
Despite receiving an onslaught of Oscar buzz for her role in this film, Jolie does not quite live up to the hype. Although she most likely will still manage a nomination, it is highly unlikely that Jolie will be going home with her second Oscar. She does an admirable job of quietly portraying Collins as a despairing yet brave mother, but when the script demands anger it often results in an over-the-top, shrill performance.
While Jolie has been getting all the ink, it is some of the supporting cast’s performances that really bring this film to life. John Malkovich (“Burn After Reading”) does a commendable job as a muckraking Protestant pastor who aids Collins in her battle even though his character is dull and lacks any real development. Donavan also excels in his ability to portray Jones with such a sly, deceiving persona. The best performance, though, comes from Jason Butler Harner (“Next”) who skillfully took on the complex role of a child kidnapper and murderer. His portrayal accurately reflects many real-life psychopaths in the way he appears very charming and approachable outside of committing crime.
“Changeling” is a well-crafted work of art that easily overcomes its downfalls thanks to the truly gifted leadership of Eastwood and his ability to pull together a solid cast to tell an upsetting, real story. While its tough themes make this film not one for casual viewing, it is definitely one you need to see at least once.
4 stars out of 5
