Overview
A mother's desperate search for her missing son leads her into a web of police corruption and betrayal.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- harrowing
- somber
- foreboding
- serious movie night
- historical drama marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film beautifully shot and compellingly acted, especially by Angelina Jolie and its supporting cast, while faulting its tendency to rely on conventional melodrama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Christine is branded unstable and confined after challenging the police account of her missing son.
Christine refuses to accept the substitute child and continues searching for Walter despite intimidation.
The Los Angeles police department manipulates publicity, suppresses criticism, and intimidates witnesses.
Clint Eastwood uses stylized 1920s Los Angeles streets, interiors, and institutional spaces to create an ominous historical atmosphere.
Films like Changeling, and why
The Insider
shared true crime drama, institutional corruption, and determined parent confronting an indifferent system
Zodiac
shared historical crime investigation, vulnerable protagonists, and oppressive abuses of authority
Suffragette
shared period setting, procedural investigation, and a woman challenging entrenched social power
Mystic River
shared harrowing child-centered crime narrative, moral outrage, and richly staged historical drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Clint Eastwood
- Release Date
- 2008-10-24
- Runtime
- 142 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (4610)
Cast
- Angelina Jolie
- John Malkovich
- Jeffrey Donovan
- Michael Kelly
- Colm Feore
- Jason Butler Harner
- Amy Ryan
- Geoff Pierson
- Denis O'Hare
- Frank Wood
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Changeling about?
- A grieving Los Angeles mother wages a relentless fight against police corruption after authorities return the wrong boy as her missing son.
- What is Changeling like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Changeling as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Changeling violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Changeling as graphic.
- What did critics think of Changeling?
- Critics broadly found the film beautifully shot and compellingly acted, especially by Angelina Jolie and its supporting cast, while faulting its tendency to rely on conventional melodrama.
- Which films are like Changeling?
- Films with a similar feel include The Insider, Zodiac, Suffragette, and Mystic River.
- How long is Changeling?
- Changeling runs 142 minutes.
- Where can I watch Changeling?
- In United States, Changeling is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
