Changeling Family Review

Grief-stricken mother Christine Collins takes on the L.A.P.D. to her own detriment when they try to pass off an obvious impostor as her missing child.Los Angeles, 1928. Single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) returns from work to find her nine-year-old son Walter (Gattlin Griffith) gone. She calls the L.A.P.D. to initiate a search. Five months later, a boy is found in Illinois who fits the description, and he says he's her son. To fanfare and photos, the L.A.P.D. reunite mother and son, but she insists he's not her boy. The cops dismiss her as either a liar or hysterical. When she joins a minister in his public criticism of the Police, they in turn use government power to silence and intimidate her. Meanwhile, a cop goes to a dilapidated ranch to find a Canadian lad who's without legal status; the youth tells a grisly tale. There's redress for murder; is there redress for abuse of power?—<[email protected]>Single parent Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) is a supervisor at the local telephone exchange, who, having returned home late from having to work overtime on a Saturday, finds her nine-year-old son Walter (Gattlin Griffith) is missing from their home. As the days and weeks go by, the Collins case becomes the object of a campaign by Pastor Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich), who rails against the incompetence and corruption of the Los Angeles Police Department. Soon, the Police arrives with the news that they have found her boy, but when the lad is turned over to her, she realizes that the Police have returned a stranger to her in an attempt to bring an end to the public complaints about their handling of her case. Her attempts to get justice bring her into conflict with the L.A.P.D., who will go to any length to protect their reputation. When she continues to complain, she finds herself arrested and confined to the mental ward.—garykmcdIn March, 1928 in Los Angeles, California, Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) lives with her beloved son Walter (Gattlin Griffith) in Lincoln Heights. When she is assigned to work overtime on Saturday at Pacific Telephone and Telegraph as supervisor, she promises Walter she will return at 4 p.m. to watch the latest Charlie Chaplin movie at the movie theater with him. However, she arrives home late and does not find her son. After seeking out the boy in the neighborhood, she reports the missing child to the Police, but the Police Officer tells her that she should wait twenty-four hours to register the complaint. Five months later, Captain J.J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan) communicates to Mrs. Collins that her son had been found in DeKalb, Illinois, and is heading back home by train to be reunited with her. In the train station, Christine does not recognize the boy as being Walter, but Captain Jones advises her that his appearance has changed during the five months. Soon, she confirms that the boy is not her son, but the corrupt L.A.P.D. does not accept her arguments. When Mrs. Collins is approached by St. Paul Presbyterian Church Pastor Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich), who daily broadcasts protests exposing corruption in the Police force, she decides to disclose to the press the evidence she has about the changeling. However, the abusive Captain Jones sends Christine to an asylum to intimidate her. Meanwhile, the efficient Detective Lester Ybarra (Michael Kelly) is assigned to arrest and deport an illegal Canadian boy who was hidden on a ranch in Wineville. He captures the boy, who discloses hideous crimes committed by his compatriot Gordon Stewart Northcott (Jason Butler Harner).—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil