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Film Review
'Changeling': Eastwood’s latest not his greatest
A Christian minister brings to light the great injustices of the 1928 Los Angeles Police Department in Clint Eastwood’s latest film.
Rev. Gustav Briegleb, played by John Malkovich, is a Presbyterian minister dedicated to exposing the LAPD corruption in “Changeling.” That’s why Christine Collins, played by Angelina Jolie, comes to him.
Collins’ son goes missing. The police claim to have found the missing child, but when they bring him to Collins, she realizes it’s not her son.
When Collins protests, the authorities force her into a psychiatric ward. There she meets other women who have similarly upset the LAPD.
Rev. Briegleb gets Collins released from the psychiatric ward and then takes up her cause against the LAPD. Meanwhile, she continues searching for her son, even after everyone has advised her to give up hope.
“Changeling” — a word fancifully denoting a child who is believed to be switched by fairies as an infant, unbeknownst to the parents — is based on a true story. Unfortunately, the history details are a bit too much for just one film. The result is a movie that goes on too long, touches on many ideas, and does not drive home any one concept with great force.
The corruption of the police department is up against the angst of a mother who has lost her child, her relationship to a serial killer and a reverend seeking justice. There are too many threads and they are not woven together effectively.
That said, Jolie as Collins is terrific, if a bit overly aware of the near hysteria she should be portraying. Eastwood focuses too much on Jolie’s beauty, as a close up of her occupies the screen for what feels like the majority of the film.
The best performance comes from Malkovich as Rev. Gustav Briegleb. A tremendous character to play, Malkovich is the most convincing.
Although he probably overuses his pulpit, the minister certainly extols the Gospel virtue of justice against a system rife with corruption.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church directs laity to “remedy the institutions and conditions of the world when the latter are an inducement to sin, that these may be conformed to the norms of justice, favoring rather than hindering the practice of virtue” (909).
The minister’s message and actions echo the Catechism’s directive. His storyline forces audience members to consider their own call to justice.
The film is often predictable — as films based on true stories often are — and it is overly indulgent in the length. With strong acting and atmosphere, “Changeling” has all the components of a great film. It simply does not come together with enough cohesion to deserve much praise.
Media critic Rebecca Bostic is a regular contributor to The Catholic Sun. Comments are welcome. Send e-mail to letters@catholicsun.org.
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