The Changeling

SPOILER ALERT...I'm going to talk about details! WOW, I watched The Changeling a few days ago and am still thinking about it. Angie Jo said in an interview that if it wasn't a true story no one would believe it and I completely agree. About thirty minutes in I told my husband that it was the most gripping story I'd come across in a long time. Amazing!!! A changeling is traditionally a child believed to have been exchanged by fairies for the parents real child, except in this case it was the LAPD, not fairies...I won't even go there! After I watched the movie I read online to find out more about the true story which I actually think is a bit more intriguing that the movie portrays.

Gordon Northcott, the serial killer that, is seems, most likely killed Walter Collins, didn't have the exact relationship with his cousin as portrayed in the movie. Actually the cousin character was his nephew whom he and his mother kidnapped from Canada, sexually abused, held prisoner, and made him participate in the murders. Under oath Mrs. Northcott claimed that she was not Gordon's mother but really his grandmother...the result of incest between her husband and her daughter although the daughter denies any incest. Both Mrs. Northcott and Gordon at one time or another confessed to the murder of Walter Collins but both also recanted that confession. I wonder why the mother wasn't included in the film? It makes the serial killings even more sadistic that a mother and son were participating in them together and I think would have added even more dimension to this movie.

Many online reviewers spoke of their disdain for Angie Jo (I didn't know so many people hated her!) but after seeing her in Girl, Interrupted, I can't ever question her acting abilities. Many of the reviewers said that her lips were so big that they were distracted throughout the entire movie. Isn't it funny that someones lips can be so big that many different people can not enjoy a film because of it? Didn't bother me though. What did bother me, just slightly, was her emotional range in the movie. There seemed to be a level 1 and a level 10 for 99% of the movie, incredible extremes, with very few in between moments. It made for a roller coaster experience more than a progression which was a bit tiring after a while.

Despite my few concerns with the acting though, the story was so compelling and intriguing that it sucked me in. I wish I had discovered this story, this would have made a great History Dissertation!