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Unfortunately, it also means that the story, which is riveting for most of its first two hours, loses steam by the end and finishes about half an hour later than necessary in an attempt to tell the whole tale. There is no satisfactorily corresponding payoff for the audience. A screenplay based on an original tale can conclude in a more natural place, and though real life rarely follows the best dramatic arc, "true story" movies sometimes lose track of telling a good story in their overarching need to cover it all. When a movie with this much potential squanders some of its impact with a wandering ending, it's hard for the audience to ignore the deficiency.

But whatever its flaws, Changeling is worth seeing. Aside from the chilling implications (who will protect us from corrupt protectors?), it is not a judgmental or political film. It's even-handed in its treatment of all its characters, and there's a spark of humanity in all of the bad guys. The end result conveys a broken-heartedness over the deficiencies and evil perpetuated by humans, the inescapable flaws in the justice system of a fallen world, and the lengths that people will go to protect their reputation.

Talk About It

1. Changeling emphasizes a society's poor treatment of women, both those who are moral and those who sin. What has changed since then in our world? What would Jesus have to say to a woman like Carol Dexter (Amy Ryan)?
2. It's clear that most people in this film know what is the right thing to do, but some choose not to act. What does James 4:17 say about people like Detective Jones, who know what is right, and yet choose to ignore it?
3. What do you make of Gordon Northcott's claim of repentance?

The Family Corner

Changeling is rated R for some violent and disturbing images, and language. Slight spoilers: It's an inherently disturbing plot, with several scenes of bloody violence toward children, a hanging, and badly mistreated women in an asylum (both sane and not). The bad language, which includes a few f-bombs, is used in expected situations, and is not gratuitous.

Photos © Copyright Universal Pictures

© Alissa Wilkinson subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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