The Changeling Parts 1-3 are the opening chapters of an American horror fantasy television series created by Kelly Marcel and directed by Melina Matsoukas based on the novel of the same name by Victor LaValle for Apple TV+. (Wikipedia)
S P O I L E R S
The Changeling Parts 1-3 can be hard-going for some viewers as the story takes its time to expound on its true premise, which is spoilt somewhat by its marketing. Wikipedia describes the premise as, “A man goes in search of his wife after she does something horrific in the aftermath of the birth of their first child” while IMDb.com states, “Set in an alternate New York City, a father and husband searches through a magical world for his abducted son and missing wife”. Huh?
Main character Apollo is a bookseller, his wife Emma is a librarian. Their courtship mirrors Apollo’s own parents, up to a point. They marry have a child – named after Apollo’s estranged father – Emma succumbs to the madness of post-natal depression and kills her own child before disappearing. Straightforward? Not really, as throughout these three parts, supernatural touchstones appear to raise tensions and disturbances in the minds of the audience.
The Changeling Parts 1-3 come across like a fairy tale gone very very wrong. But things are not as they seem. There is something very improbable about the story — and the supernatural elements are part of this. Now, it’s easy to get frustrated by the non-linear storytelling and the mystery box format, and these are features that need to pay off, no later than by the next chapter.
One aside. Very encouraging to witness adaptations of writers of African descent to provide organic diversity and representation, rather than the tokenism that has obsessed Hollywood in the last five years. In the final analysis, The Changeling Parts 1-3 demonstrates much promise and potential. Fingers crossed, the rest of the series is able to fulfil this. Recommended!
Watch now on AppleTV+
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