Changeling

Hot on the heels of Gran Torino comes another Clint Eastwood creation – only this time he stays behind the camera. Changeling is both an ode to the maternal bond and a vehicle for Angelina Jolie’s star power and acting chops.

Jolie plays estranged mother Christine Collins, and her unmistakably powerful central performance carries the film – the whole thing is clearly designed with this in mind. She works a modern, natural acting style that contrasts the stagey, old-fashioned techniques of the supporting cast, nicely communicating the idea of a powerless individual fighting the agents of a heartless institution. Allied with Eastwood’s classically restrained direction, it’s a compelling first hour or so of cinema. You want to see Collins vindicated, and those opposing her punished for their callous actions. Unfortunately, the story then strays from its dystopian nightmare path into a plodding police drama. Resulting scenes milk every last drop of sympathy for Collins while the narrative screeches to a halt, rendering them superfluous, almost gratuitous, and the film starts to feel longer than it is.

Had the importance of the admittedly impressive visual aspect carried over to the script, Changeling would’ve likely received a few more Oscar nominations, and you can’t help but suspect that was the point of the movie all along. As it is, there are fantastic parts to this, but the whole isn’t totally fulfilling.

By Andreas Heinemann, Flicks.co.nz