The Changeling

MUST-SEE: (Clint Eastwood) Readers forgive me, I saw this film months ago and let it slip under the rug of priorities last fall. But that slip should not be taken as a sign that this film was anything short of brilliance. Clint Eastwood directs a story by J. Michael Straczynski that illustrates a mother's love for her son and a corrupt government's self-dug grave. Angelina Jolie plays Christine Collins, a single, working mother who loses her son and given a replacement to glorify the LAPD's apt problem solving skills. What the greater public doesn't realize is that she is also given a scolding to adopt the new child as her previous, because he is obviously not the same boy. As the audience, you are left thinking, WHAT?! Outlandish. Tragic. Impossible. But, the reality hits hard that our government acted this way, and our women were treated this way. Cocky, boisterous personalities are revealed for their insecurities and short-comings. Foolishness is shed in a new light. Even though it's been almost a year since I have seen this flick, I remember being touched by this exact sense: that something so horrid could have been passed (or attempted to pass) as normalcy. This truly frightening story that was one woman's reality. It's every parent's nightmare, but it's also a universal threat of what we (as a people) almost were, but thanks to one outspoken pastor (played by John Malkovich), we aren't. Eastwood flawlessly illustrates the worst of human nature and the best of our country's morale, and holds your heart in the palm of his hand while doing so. Don't miss this one. Jolie is a gem--well-deserved of her nod. Malkovich is powerful. And the story is true. (Enter, chills).