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Changeling
(2008)
 
Clint Eastwood is one of the most prolific filmmakers working in Hollywood today, releasing a movie (and sometimes two) a year for the last two decades. His works can be divided into two simple categories: those films in which he directs himself and those which he only directs. Those he appears on screen (Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino) in generally have a similar tone and theme, that of a gruff individual learning to open up to another and find love or personal growth as a result. His directorial efforts tend toward historical pieces like Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima or crime dramas like Mystic River and his current release, Changeling. This film, based on actual events, is a testament to a mother's love and her undying dedication to seeing justice served and being reunited with her missing son. This is enough of a plot to keep any film afloat, and Eastwood delivers an excellent genre piece to add to his canon. But Changeling also exhibits a startlingly real look at how far abuse of power can go and the determination and pain that are required to overcome it.
In May, 1928, single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) experienced every parent's worst nightmare: she returned home from work to find her nine-year-old son Walter missing. After months of anguish, she is reunited with her missing child, only to find that the boy the police have identified as Walter is not in fact her son. The police, fearing public embarassment, refuse to investigate her claims and commit her to a mental institution to get her out of the way. Meanwhile, a completely unrelated investigation leads to the discovery of a serial murderer who just might have murdered Christine's son and the effects of this revelation on both Christine and the whole of Los Angeles are larger than anyone can predict.
It's difficult, now that the Bush era is drawing to a close and Americans have lived under the Patriot Act for over seven years, not to see a parallel between the oppressive, results-oriented approach of the 1928 Los Angeles Police Department and the current regime. Scenes in which the police utilize their complete, unchecked power to hide their own mistakes and suppress due process to an already victimized woman are terrifying, if only because the viewer fully experiences her sense of helplessness along with her. While the specifics of this story led to reforms in both the areas of mental health and law enforcement oversight in Los Angeles and nationwide, looking at modern headlines shows how frighteningly little progress has actually been made. And whether or not Eastwood or screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski (creator of Babylon 5 and Jeremiah) intended for this political parallel to exist, it is present and unmistakeable in the film, and adds importance and relavence to an already powerful piece of cinema.
To some degree, however, the film suffers from it's length, and I feel that a half-hour or more could be consolidated to keep the pacing quick and prevent the audience from wandering. At two and a third hours, Changeling seems to be trying to be more epic than it is, and the result is a slightly less effective film than it had the potential to be. At its core, this is a film about a mother and her quest to find her son, and though the serial infanticides which control the latter half of the film are directly relevant, the loss of focus from Christine's story to the larger trial piece lessens the impact of her tragedy and resolve.
As is to be expected, Eastwood delivers sound performances from the entire cast, especially Jolie, who one imagines placed herself methodically in the role and envisioned one of her large brood of well-publicized children to be missing. There's a very fine line that must be walked for an actress to pull off a role like this, and Jolie does it perfectly, providing all the raw emotion without any of the cheese that so often tends to lessen the effectiveness of similar performances. In supporting roles, character actors from the famous (John Malkovich, Amy Ryan, and Colm Feore) to the relatively unknown (Jason Butler Harner, Jeffrey Donovan and the young Eddie Alderson) all provide similarly nuanced performances, resulting in one of the most skilled ensembles to grace the screen this year.
Changeling is far from a perfect film and will likely be overshadowed by Eastwood's second outing of the year, Gran Torino. Despite its flaws, though, it is a powerful drama supported by spot-on performances across the board and technical prowess by the behind-the-lens creatives. If ambition alone were the determining factor in a film's success, Changeling would blow most of the competition out of the water, but its failure to capitalize on its broad vision is its ultimate detractor. Nonetheless, Eastwood has once again delivered a highley entertaining and emotionally affecting piece of cinema, and one of the year's best dramas.
-Mark Moreland
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Director:
Clint Eastwood
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Starring: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Amy Ryan, Colm Feore, Jason Butler Harner, Jeffrey Donovan, Eddie Alderson
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Runtime: 141
min
Rating: R
Release Date: October 31, 2008
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