Sunday, November 2, 2008

Changeling

Movie name: Changeling
Year of release: 2008
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Kelly, Amy Ryan, Colm Feore, Denis O'Hare, Jason Butler Harner
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8

Synopsis:After the twosome World War movies that premiered in 2006, "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima", Clint Eastwood presents another period piece with "The Changeling" based on a true story that changed the life of Los Angeles. Taking place in 1928, the film follows Christine Collins, a young single mother that works for the phone company. When she has to work an extra shift, her son disappears much to her despair. When she presents the case to the police, they initially dismiss her and after filing a report, they bring back a child that turns out not to be her own. Christine continues to insist, with the help of Revered Gustav Briegleb, who has been exposing the corruption of the police department through his radio show. When Christine continues insisting, she is placed in a mental institution while simultaneously the story behing the disappearance of young boys comes out.
Clint Eastwood takes his time in telling this story - his attention to details and the period reconstruction are flawless. He lets the actors flash out this story, relying mostly on Angelina Jolie's terrific portrayal of Christine Collins. She plays the character as a lonely, fragile woman who sees her world being taken away when her son disappears. Christine is also a resilient woman, one that doesn't give up when the police tries to get away with something less than the truth. The film is a gem of detail, of production design and overall a great film to watch.

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