THE CHANGELING

change-ling (ˈchānj-liŋ ) 1. a child secretly exchanged for another

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Based on a true story, this tragic movie stars Angelina Jolie as Christine Collins, the single mother of 10-year-old Walter. One evening, as she returns home from work, she discovers that Walter is missing. She searches everywhere for him. Frantic, she calls the police, who tell her there's nothing they can do until he's been missing for 24 hours. Eventually, the police begin their search for him. Five months later, a young boy fitting Walter's description is found, alive and well. Christine is told the good news! At the train station, she is "reunited" with a boy she does not recognize. She tells the police that it's not Walter. But the 1928 LAPD was desperate to revise its reputation of corruption, and feeling that this happy ending would be good for publicity, they tell her to take him home and "try him out" for a while. After all, he's been through quite an ordeal, and he has "changed". Shaken and confused, Christine gives in. But he is not her son. And when she insists on this fact, the PD tries to dismiss her as either a liar who's trying to shirk her responsibility as a mother, or a crazy woman. John Malkovich costars as a minister who speaks out publicly against the LAPD corruption. He helps her get her case against the PD together, but the soon the authorities have Christine committed. Eventually, a young cop comes across another young boy that leads him to find out what really happened.

Directed by Clint Eastwood, THE CHANGELING was based on the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders that took place in Riverside County, California. (Incidentally, Wineville is now Miraloma - the name of the community was changed due in large part to the negative publicity received from this case). Christine & Walter Collins were actual people. Most of the story is told as it actually happened, with the exception of some figures being left out, and some characters being a "complilation" of many figures involved. This was a good movie, but one of those that I wish I hadn't seen because the story was so tragic.