Changeling.

SPOILER ALERT!

Oh Clint, you’ve done it again! Changeling was produced in 2008 and is directed by Clint. It stars Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich and Jeffrey Donovan.

The film is set in 1928, Los Angeles. Single mother Christine Collins (Jolie) returns home from work to discover her nine-year-old son Walter is missing. The LAPD really doesn’t do much to help Christine, so she turns to Reverend Gustav Briegleb (Malkovich) who publicises Christine’s case and the corruption in the LAPD. Several months later the LAPD tells Christine her son has been found alive. Due to the recent publicity, the LAPD organises a public reunion, however the boy claiming to be Walter isn’t Walter. Christine tells the LAPD that he is not Walter, but Captain J.J Jones (Donovan) insists the boy is Walter and pressures Christine into taking him home on a trial basis. Christine still convinced that he is not her son gets signed letters from Walter’s dentist and teacher confirming that Walter is an impostor. Christine then goes to the press to tell her story and as a result Jones sends her to Los Angeles County Hospitals psychopathic ward, there she meet another woman who tells her plenty of women have been sent there for challenging police authority. Whilst this is happening Detective Ybarra travels to a ranch in Wineville, Riverside County to arrange the deportation of 15 year old Sanford Clark to Canada. Clark then tells the detective that his uncle, Gordon Northcoot, forced him to help kidnap and murder around 20 boys and identifies one of those boys as Walter. The impostor Walter then reveals his motive was to secure transport to Los Angeles to see his favourite actor, Tom Mix, and that the police told him to lie about being Walter. Northcutt is then captured in Vancouver, Canada. Northcutt is found guilty of murder and is sentenced to death by hanging. Two years later, Northcutt sends Christine a message saying he is willing to tell her what happened to Walter on the condition that Christine meet him before his execution. She visits him, but he refuses to tell her if he killed Walter. He is then executed the next day. Years later a boy David Clay , who was assumed to have been killed by Northcutt, is found alive. He reveals that one of the boys he was imprisoned with was Walter. David, Walter and two other boys escaped, but were separated. David did not know whether Walter was recaptured or not, thus giving Christine hope that he is still alive.

Changeling is roughly based upon real life events; the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders. I’m not usually a fan of Angelina Jolie, but I quite enjoyed her in this film. Jolie’s portrayal of Christine Collins; a single mother just looking for justice in a corrupt system, I believe is her best. Clint’s directing of the film is great, and the climax of the film; the two trials, was beautifully directed and edited.

Even though it is a sad film, I do love this film.

95/100