“Changeling”

Movie Review

The American mystery criminal drama film Changeling was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed, produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood. The murders at the Wineville Chicken Coop in Mira Loma, California, in 1928, notably, served as the story's primary inspiration. Angelina Jolie plays a mom who is reunited with a youngster who she later learns is not her missing son in the movie. She tries to prove this to the police and local authorities, but they accuse her of being insane and lock her in a psychiatric facility. The movie examines issues like the maltreatment of mental health patients, the effects of violence, governmental corruption, and the endangerment of children.

When single mother Christine Collins arrives home in 1928 Los Angeles, she learns that her nine-year-old son Walter is gone. Reverend Gustav Briegleb condemns the Los Angeles Police Department for its incompetence, corruption, and use of extrajudicial punishment by its "Gun Squad," which is led by Chief James E. Davis, in addition to bringing attention to Christine's suffering. The Los Angeles Police Department informs Christine that Walter has recovered alive some months after he vanished. The Los Angeles Police Department plans a public reunion in the hopes that the good press will counteract recent criticism of the agency. Christine believes "Walter" is not her son, despite the fact that he claims to be. The head of the juvenile division for the Los Angeles Police Department, Captain J.J. Jones, swears the child is Walter and coerces Christine into taking him home "on a trial basis."

Later, Christine confronts Jones about the physical discrepancies between "Walter" and her child, highlighting in particular how much taller and uncircumcised her son is. Captain Jones arranges for a doctor to visit her since he is not persuaded by her claims. According to the doctor, "Walter" is three inches shorter than he was before going missing due to stress to his spine, and the person who abducted him must have had him circumcised. Briegleb informs Christine that a report that appears in the press and implies that she is an unfit mother was fabricated by the police to malign her. Christine receives signed letters from Walter's dentist and instructor claiming that "Walter" is a fraud. After Christine relates her story to the media, Jones admits her to the "psychopathic ward" of the Los Angeles County Hospital. Inmate Carol Dexter, whom Christine befriends, reveals that Christine is one of the numerous women who were brought there for defying police authority. Dr. Steele declares Christine to be delusional and orders her to take medication to control her emotions. Steele promises to free Christine if she acknowledges she was wrong about "Walter." She declines.

Sanford Clark, 15, is to be deported to Canada, so Detective Ybarra makes a trip to a ranch in Wineville, Riverside County, to make the necessary arrangements. Gordon Stewart Northcott, the boy's uncle, has left after having a fortuitous encounter with Ybarra, who adds that his business there is a juvenile concern. Ybarra is informed by Clark that Northcott made him assist in the kidnapping and murder of about twenty children, and he names Walter as one of the victims. After having a mental breakdown, Christine is now in protective care, Jones informs Briegleb. Jones issues a deportation order for Clark, but Ybarra brings him to the crime scene and instructs him to dig up the bodies there. Although Clark hesitates, he quickly finds body pieces. By displaying Steele, a news article on the Wineville crimes that mentions Walter as a potential victim, Briegleb is able to obtain Christine's release. When questioned by Ybarra, Walter's impostor, whose real name is Arthur Hutchins, admits that his goal was to get a ride to Los Angeles so that he could see his favorite actor, Tom Mix. He also claims that the police instructed him to make up the story that he was Christine's son. Northcott is apprehended by the police in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Briegleb recommends "S.S." Hahn, a prominent attorney, to handle Christine's case. Hahn accepts the case pro bono and quickly wins a court order ordering the release of other women who were unlawfully imprisoned and who the police had been trying to frighten.

When Christine, Hahn, and Briegleb arrive at Los Angeles City Hall on the day of the case's city council hearing, they run into thousands of protesters who are calling for the city to provide answers and who are criticizing the LAPD. Scenes from Northcott's trial are cut in between scenes from the hearing. The council decides that Jones and Davis should be relieved of their duties and that police internments without due process must end. After Northcott's jury finds him guilty of murder, the judge orders that he be hanged to death.

Christine continued to look for Walter two years later. In a message to her, Northcott offers to confess to killing Walter in exchange for a meeting with Christine just before his death. She goes to see Northcott, but he won't say whether or not he killed her son. The next day, Northcott is put to death.

One of the boys, David Clay, who was thought to have been killed, is discovered alive in 1935 in Hesperia, California. He confesses that Walter was one of the lads he was imprisoned with and that he and Walter and another youngster escaped but were split up. Although David is unsure if Walter was apprehended, he claims that Walter assisted him in escaping, which gave Christine hope that Walter might still be alive.

In the epilogue, it is revealed that following the hearing, Captain Jones was suspended, Chief Davis was demoted, and Los Angeles Mayor George Cryer decided not to run for re-election; that the state of California passed legislation making it unlawful to commit people for treatment for mental illness solely on the advice of authorities; that Rev. Briegleb continued to use his radio program to expose political corruption and police misconduct; and that Wineville is rumored to have changed its name to Mira Loma.

When Straczynski was a special correspondent for the now-defunct TV-Cable Week magazine in 1983, a contact at Los Angeles City Hall gave him the story of Christine Collins and her son. He continued to study the subject during the next years, but he never felt prepared to start writing about it. He was virtually blacklisted in the television industry for being difficult to work with, forced out of the business for several years, then returned to study the narrative before completing it in 2006. The script for the movie was largely compiled from thousands of pages of documentation. His first screenplay for a movie was developed, and it served as the shooting script. The movie was originally going to be directed by Ron Howard, but because of schedule issues, Eastwood took over.

Many performers vied for the lead role, but Eastwood ultimately determined that Jolie's features would fit the period setting of the 1920s. Jeffrey Donovan, Jason Butler Harner, John Malkovich, Michael Kelly, and Amy Ryan are also featured in the movie. The majority of characters are based on real persons however, some are composites. Actors and crew remarked that Eastwood's understated direction produced a tranquil set and brief production days. Scenes were enhanced using computer-generated skylines, backgrounds, automobiles, and people in post-production.

On May 20, 2008, Changeling made its world premiere at the 61st Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews. It was nominated for three Oscars and eight BAFTA Awards.

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