Changeling

Changeling, by Clint Eastwood, set in the time frame of 1920’s or 1930’s, is a portrayal of a true story. Her son was missing and answering that compliant, police department returns a boy. It’s the story of this mother and her fight against the established corruption in the government bureaucracies when she goes against the authorities denying that the kid returned was an impostor. Angelina Jolie played the role of the distressed mother (Christine Collins) beautifully. The only negative I have on the film was that it was too quiet and a little laid back. But then, considering that it was Clint Eastwood film, I am not surprised.

Plot runs around Mrs.Collins, who goes public saying that the authorities have returned an impostor after gathering enough proof for her claim. When she approaches the authorities she was blatantly called irresponsible mother and a liar. Tolerating all these, she still begs them to keep looking for her missing son. She finds a friend in the local Reverend who uses his radio show to bring to the public notice, the atrocities of the cops and the corruption in the government hierarchy. He gives her the support to take her case forward to the public. Seeing that the authorities were unwilling to take any action on her claim, she takes the matter to the public, angering the authorities who brand her as disillusioned and put her in the psychiatric ward. She then gets to know a few inmates who were brought in here because they questioned the police authority. She begs the doctor to let her go saying that she was perfectly normal, who responds that she would be released if she was willing to sign a piece of paper saying that the boy who was returned to her was her son, which she refuses.

On the other side of the story, a detective was sent to deport a juvenile kid who was living with his uncle (Gordon Northcott) in the North Ranch, who speaks of the brutal killings of twenty odd kids by his uncle, who mercilessly slaughtered the kids and forced him to finish them off or threaten to kill him. The kid also says that the Walter Collins, son of Christine Collins, was also murdered by his uncle. On confirming the validity of the statements by the kid, the detective releases this news to the local media. The Reverand reading this in the news paper secures the release of Christine Collins from the psychiatric ward. The impostor reveals that he was here to visit his favorite actor and that the police forced him to lie that he was Walter Collins.

Christine on the other hand files a compliant against the authorities for erroneously putting her in protective custody and mistreating her when she was perfectly well. With the help of her lawyer, she also gets the release of other people in the custody who were placed for desisting the authority. She wins the case and brings in a much needed reform to the rights of the citizens, which was applauded by the people. On the other side, Gordon was picked from his sister’s place by the authorities and was brought to justice and though he pleads not guilty, there was enough proof for his brutal killings and he was sentenced to death by hanging, after a two year solitary confinement.

Christine continued to search for her missing son, refusing to believe that her son was murdered. After two years, Gordon, knowing that Christine was still hunting for her son, was willing to admit that he killed Walter Collins if Christine would meet him. When Christine meets him, he refuses to tell her whether he killed her son or no and was hung the next day.

A few months later, a kid who was believed to be killed by Gordon was found alive and he reveals that he, along with a few others escaped from Gordon and Walter was among them, though he does not for sure know if Walter was later re-captured or was alive, giving Christine the hope she required to pursue her search and that was the end of the movie.

Though it was not some sort of a happy ending, as one would have expected, it ended on a positive note leaving it open to all the hearts out there to draw their own ending. Clint Eastwood did a fantastic job of the movie and for anyone who would not mind a little heart stirring, can definitely watch it.