Celebrate hope with Angelina

Changeling

Running Time: 142 minutes

Price: $16.99 for DVD and $26.86 for Blu-Ray.

Rating: R for some violence and disturbing content, and language.

The word “changeling” literally means a child unintentionally substituted for another, but the connotation of that word will change after seeing this film.

Changeling is about a woman named Christine Collins, played by Angelina Jolie, a single mother in the late 1920s, who comes home from work one day to find her son missing. She notifies the police, but they don’t seem interested in her problem.

After a few days, the police find her missing son, supposedly, and she is ecstatic until she finds out that the boy they have found is not actually her son.

The police do everything in their power to convince her the boy is her son, but she knows otherwise. She fights the corrupt justice system of Los Angeles, the police begin to fight back as well.

This film is heart wrenching and the suspense is powerful, and it really is enlightening to see the true story of this woman’s life and what she went through.

Also, because this movie is a period piece, the costumes and the scenery are breathtaking. There are trolleys and trains and old cars that fit perfectly into the movie’s setting.

The story contrasts with the calm setting of the 1920s background and makes the plot that much more intense.

This movie takes many strange turns, and the story would seem implausible to many people if they had not known it was a true story. Everything this woman went through in finding information about her child happened.

The acting is terrific, especially by the supporting actors like Devon Conti, and the directing by Clint Eastwood is amazing as usual.

The feature film receives a four out of five star rating because it is powerful and very well crafted.

Special features: “Partners in Crime: Clint Eastwood and Angelina Jolie” featurette and “The Common Thread: Angelina Jolie Becomes Christine Collins” featurette.

The special features are interesting to people who enjoy learning about filmmaking and the workings that go beyond the movie itself. There are no deleted scenes, which would have been interesting to see what the director left out. The deleted scenes are now a standard special feature in almost all DVDs; it is curious to think why they might not have been included.

The special features receive a two out of five star rating because there are only two featurettes included.

By Ashley Stewart Staff Writer