Changeling is an aptly titled film, not at all because of its original folklore definition of a mythical creature being left in the place of a child, but rather for its ever changing narrative. Set in 1928 Los Angeles, the film follows Christine Collins’ (Angelina Jolie) unwavering quest to find her missing 10 year-old son, but when the Police eventually find a boy matching his description, Christine is adamant that it’s not him. Yet the plot to Changeling merely begins here, as this remarkable true story takes its audience on a journey through so much more. Not only does Christine become engaged in a campaign to bring down the corrupt Police Department of Los Angeles, who are unwilling to confess they have returned the wrong boy, her courageous stand against the men in power makes her a prominent feminist figure well before the movement took flight in the 1960′s. If that’s not enough, then the film also takes to solving the grisly Wineville Chicken Coop murders of 1926.

But is it all too much for one film? Surprisingly not.

Usually, a film that tries to explore this much inevitably falls victim to being unstructured and shallow, yet thanks to an entire cast of strong performances and Clint Eastwood’s solid depiction of the truly fascinating source material, Changeling easily gets away with it. Eastwood’s a strong storyteller; his straightforward direction is perfectly suited to a narrative that needs no sensationalising, as any attempt to overdramatise the already remarkable true story would have had me question its plausibility. The tremendous art direction faithfully recreates the Los Angeles of the 1930′s, seeing that Changeling’s authenticity is never in question. Even the screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski manages to make each narrative shift feel consequential and fluid, which is a surprising achievement for a period drama that momentarily becomes a thriller reminiscent of The Silence of the Lambs.

A long cry from her typically one-dimensional heroine roles in films such as Wanted and Tomb Raider, Angelina Jolie proves she is more than just a gun-wielding sex symbol and shows some range as Christine. As it turns out however, it’s not quite enough range to see out the film; her teary-eyed performance stagnates just as the story takes flight at the halfway mark. When Jolie stands her ground and gets vocal about the blatant injustice, she takes control of the screen and her Academy Award nomination has grounds, yet for the rest of the film her unchanging disposition just isn’t able to keep up with the dynamic nature of the story. In support, John Malkovich is always a pleasure to watch as a vocal reverend hoping to use Christine’s plight to help fuel his case against the corrupt Police Captain J.J. Jones, whose desperate attempt to retain power and keep the scandal under wraps is convincingly depicted by Jeffery Donovan.

Yet unlike many of the Oscar nominated films this season, the solid performances in Changeling are still second to the extraordinary true story that never fails to captivate no matter what direction it takes.

Follow the author Anders Wotzke on Twitter.