Changeling (2008)

Changeling (2008) — a tense, true‑story drama set in 1928 Los Angeles — follows Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie), a single mother whose nine‑year‑old son disappears. Months later the L.A.P.D. returns a boy they claim is her child, but Christine insists the boy is an impostor. Her refusal to accept the police’s story sets off a grim battle: as she demands the truth, the department dismisses and then punishes her, using public relations, intimidation and even institutional power to silence her. Parallel to Christine’s fight, a police investigation into a remote ranch uncovers a younger Canadian survivor and a string of horrific crimes that expose the rot behind the city’s authority. If you watch Changeling you’ll experience a slowly building, emotionally wrenching drama that combines a personal grief story with a hard‑edged critique of corruption and abuse of power. The film is period‑rich and atmospheric — bleak streets, crowded train stations and the antiseptic terror of an asylum — and it contrasts intimate, harrowing moments of a mother’s anguish with procedural scenes that reveal bureaucratic cruelty. Angelina Jolie anchors the film with a restrained but powerful performance, and the supporting cast gives weight to the institutional and investigative threads. The pacing is deliberate, fostering mounting anger, suspense and sadness rather than fast thrills. Expect a sober, morally furious tone and some harrowing, disturbing content (child disappearance, violence and institutional abuse). The movie is as much about one woman’s determination for justice as it is about the social and political forces that try to crush her — a compelling, unsettling portrait of courage against systemic corruption.

Actors: Angelina Jolie, Colm Feore, Amy Ryan

Director: Clint Eastwood

Runtime: 141 min

Genres: Biography, Crime, Drama

7.2 /10 63 /100 7.7 /10 7.1 /10