History Film / Changeling

* HopeSpot[=/=]ForegoneConclusion: Christine's initial belief that her son has been found alive and well. It occurs twenty minutes into a two and a half hour movie, so... [[SpoiledByTheFormat yeah]]. Another hope spot happens at the end when [[spoiler: a boy appears to have escaped Northcott's captivity and claims Walter escaped as well]].

* SelfPlagiarism: J. Michael Straczynsku reuses the "Never start a fight but always finish it" line from the ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS05E21ObjectsAtRest Objects at Rest]]".

* SelfPlagiarism: JMS reuses the "Never start a fight but always finish it" line from the ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS05E21ObjectsAtRest Objects at Rest]]".

* ShownTheirWork: Straczynski did particularly intensive research to ensure that he could legally subtitle the film "A true story" rather than "Based on a true story." He ended up drawing on over ''6,000 pages'' of documentation on the case. Straczynski also referred to his academic background in psychology and sociology to portray how the psychiatrist might twist someone's words to make them seem delusional.

* TurbulentPriest: Rev. Briegleb campaigns against police corruption in LA, and reveals to Christian how deep it's gone. When she refuses to accept the impostor the police foist off as her missing son and is wrongly committed to a mental institution, he helps free her and expose the scandal.

* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: Captain Jones corrects Christine's attorney S.S. Hahn on her client actually being "escorted" rather than being "thrown" into the psychiatric hospital, lacking any concern that he did so without a warrant.

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Dectective Ybarra was ordered by Captain Jones ''not'' to investigate Sandford's confession but does so anyway since Walter Collins was among the many boys Sanford claimed to have helped murder.

* HopeSpot[=/=]ForegoneConclusion: Christine's initial belief that her son has been found alive and well. It occurs twenty minutes into a two and a half hour movie, so... [[SpoiledByTheFormat yeah]].

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Dectective Ybarra was ordered by Captain Jones ''not'' to investigate Sandford's confession but does so anyway since Walter Collins was one of the boys Sanford claimed to have helped murder.

* KidsAreCruel: The fake Walter, Arthur Hutchens, agreed to go along with deceiving a grieving mother by posing as her son in return for seeing his favorite actor Tom Mix. He knows full well what he's doing and [[SmugSnake smugly]] tells officers upon interrogation that he's off the hook since he's 'just a kid' (though Detective Ybarra is perfectly willing to call his bluff on that).

* SerialKiller: Gordon Northcott, who kidnapped and murdered more than 20 young boys on a small farm in California. This is set ''before'' the existence of serial killers was common knowledge, predating the crimes of Ed Gein by two decades, explaining [[GoodCannotComprehendEvil Ybarra's refusal to accept that anyone would be capable of such crimes]].
* ShownTheirWork: Straczynski did particularly intensive research to ensure that he could legally subtitle the film "A true story" rather than "Based on a true story." He ended up drawing on over 6,000 pages of documentation on the case. Straczynski also referred to his academic background in psychology and sociology to portray how the psychiatrist might twist someone's words to make them seem delusional.

* SerialKiller: Gordon Northcott, who kidnapped and murdered more than 20 young boys on a small farm in California. This is set ''before'' the existence of serial killers was common knowledge, three decades before the crimes of Ed Gein, explaining [[GoodCannotComprehendEvil Ybarra's refusal to accept that anyone would be capable of such crimes]].

* BasedOnATrueStory: Based on the true story of the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders, also known as the Wineville Chicken Murders. Though as mentioned below under ShownTheirWork, Straczynski's meticulous research actually qualifies this to be subtitled as not just based on, but "A True Story." Still, some important deviations from the true story, the most important of which is that in reality, no escape from Northcott's farm ever took place and it is established that Walter ''was'' among the murdered victims. Also, while there was speculation that Northcott might have killed up to 20 children, only three murders are officially confirmed.

* BadassPreacher: Briegleb is a firebreathing {{Determinator}} in his mission to expose the LAPD's wrongdoings.

* TheDeterminator: Christine, and how! Briegleb is also drawn into Christine's orbit because of his own determination to expose corruption.

* NotAfraidofHell: Averted for Northcott. He refuses to tell Christine [[spoiler: whether or not he murdered Walter because he doesn't want to lie]] after he found religion. And his face has the biggest [[OhCrap look of terror]] on it when Christine tells him that she hopes he goes to hell.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Played straight with Dectective Ybarra and completely subverted with Captain Jones and Dr. Steele.

* SerialKiller: Gordon Northcott, who kidnapped and murdered more than 20 young boys on a small farm in California. This is set before the existence of serial killers was common knowledge, three decades before the crimes of Ed Gein, explaining [[GoodCannotComprehendEvil Ybarra's refusal to accept that anyone would be capable of such crimes]].
* ShownTheirWork: Straczynski did particularly intensive research to ensure that he could legally subtitle the film "A true story" rather than "Based on a true story." He ended up drawing on over 6,000 pieces of documentation on the case. Straczynski also referred to his academic background in psychology and sociology to portray how the psychiatrist might twist someone's words to make them seem delusional.

* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: The real Christine Collins was [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Christine_Collins.png quite a plain-looking woman]]. She is played here by Creator/AngelinaJolie.

* SerialKiller: Gordon Northcott, who kidnapped and murdered more than 20 young boys on a small farm in California. This is set before the existence of serial killers was common knowledge, three decades before the crimes of
Ed Gein, explaining [[GoodCannotComprehendEvil Ybarra's refusal to accept that anyone would be capable of such crimes]].

* SerialKiller: Gordon Northcott, who kidnapped and murdered more than 20 young boys on a small farm in California. This is set before the existence of serial killers was common knowledge, explaining [[GoodCannotComprehendEvil Ybarra's refusal to accept that anyone would be capable of such crimes]].

* TurbulentPriest: Rev. Briegleb campaigns against police corruption in LA, and reveals to Christian how deep it's gone. When she refuses to accept the impostor the police foist off as her missing son and is wrongly committed to a mental institution, he helps free her and expose the affair.

** In real life, all the cops involved in the cover-up did not receive much comeuppance for their actions. Some were demoted, others were suspended temporarily, most were eventually reinstated. Captain Jones also never paid the damages that Christine Collins was awarded.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Changeling--2008_9798.jpg]]

* AdultFear: The whole plot of the film is the stuff of parents' nightmares. The story is all about a woman leaving for work, coming home to find that her child is gone, and then not only receiving no help at all from the authorities about it, but they even actively begin {{Gaslighting}} her when she points out their mistakes. And then comes Act 2, [[spoiler:and we find out that there's been a serial killer kidnapping children, and that Christine's son isn't the first cover-up the police have done. Also, her son is never found]]. Oh, and this all ''really happened''.

* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: The real Christine Collins was quite a plain-looking woman. She is played here by Creator/AngelinaJolie.

''Changeling'' is a film written by Creator/JMichaelStraczynski and directed by Creator/ClintEastwood. It was distributed in 2008 by Creator/{{Universal}}, and stars Creator/AngelinaJolie, Creator/JohnMalkovich, and Creator/JeffreyDonovan.

* AintTooProudToBeg: Northcott at his execution [[InelegantBlubbering weeps inelegantly]], begs not to be made to walk too fast, and requests someone pray for him. Considering [[WouldHurtAChild what he did]], it's hard to feel sorry for him, even if you are opposed to capital punishment.