2/18/2009

Changeling (2008)

Based on a true incident

Bringing LAPD to It's Knees

When single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) discovers her nine-year-old son Walter (Gattlin Griffith) is missing, she immediately notifies the Los Angeles police department but is told she can't file a missing persons report until the child had been gone for 24 hours. This wasn't unusual procedure in 1928 but the frustrated Christine is angry that time is being wasted in finding her son because she is certain he wouldn't run away.

Five months later, Capt. J.J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan) calls to tell Christine that Walter has been found in Illinois and will return to LA via train. When Christine first sees the boy as he comes off of the train, she knows this is not her child. Ybarra tries to convince her that children change in five months time and the boy most certainly is her son. The boy (Devon Conti) even says that his name is Walter Collins and gives his street address.

In shock, Christine takes him home but soon finds much evidence that the boy is not Walter, including verification from the boy's teacher and dentist.

When the Reverand Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich) finds out about the situation, he talks about it freely on his radio show. He has a vendetta against the LAPD because it is extremely corrupt and lies about everything. Briegleb urges Christine to go public and force the cops to do something about this matter. Instead, Christine is taken into custody by the police and sent to a mental institution labelled as paranoid and disassociative. There she is subjected to brutal hydrotherapy and electromagnetic shock treatment and is beaten down emotionally by the psychiatrist (Peter Gerety).

It takes the revelation of another missing boy (Jason Butler Harner) and the investigation by Detective Lester Ybarra (Michael Kelly) to reveal the full extent of the story.

Directed by Clint Eastwood.

Run time: 2 hours, 22 minutes

Rated R for some violent and disturbing content, and language.

My personal rating: B

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