«The Changeling» - Series Review by Kinoafisha

On September 8th, the series "The Changeling" premieres on Apple TV+, a stylish, urban-folk horror about the fears and horrors of parenthood. One of the central roles in the project is played by the star of "Get Out", Lakeith Stanfield, and it is directed by Melina Matsoukas, responsible for the best music videos of Beyonce and Rihanna. Film critic Elena Zarkhina tells us about the series, which has every chance of becoming one of the main streaming puzzles of this season.

Once upon a time, a guy with a pretentious name, Apollo, who makes a living by searching for rare books, meets a girl named Emma. Despite the name of the main character, the main location of the series becomes not Ancient Greece, but modern-day New York - the urban Babylon of our time. Emma works at the library and is preparing for an upcoming trip to Brazil. She doesn't know how long the journey will last, so she turns down Apollo when he invites her on a date. Why start an affair that will soon end? But Apollo, like his ancient namesake, doesn't give up and convinces Emma on the sixth attempt.

A casual encounter turns into a serious romance that withstands the test of distance and time - years later, Emma returns to Apollo. But during her trip to Latin America, she met a witch who allowed her to make three sacred wishes, with one condition: a stranger would tie a red thread on Emma's left wrist, which cannot be broken. But Apollo dismisses the story as nonsense and cuts the thread, unleashing a terrible curse.

The heroes get married and become delighted parents of a long-awaited baby. However, the joy of their child's birth turns into a nightmare for Emma: she can hardly sleep, constantly tired, and someone sends her strange photographs of her husband walking with their son. But as soon as she shows the phone to Apollo, the pictures immediately disappear. Emma herself believes that she is cursed because she broke a promise to a witch.

Driven to the edge, she starts behaving more and more strangely and one day commits a terrifying act, taking away their son's life. She also nearly kills her husband and then disappears into the night. The police are helpless, but a few months later, a stranger approaches Apollo, who assures him that he knows where Emma is. She is on a hidden witch island, with a path that appears only at night in the midst of the Hudson River. So Apollo embarks on a dangerous journey to find Emma and save her from the forces of evil.

"The Changeling" is an adaptation of the eponymous book by American science fiction writer Victor LaValle, published in 2017. The novel received high praise from critics and made it to the top ten books of the year according to the New York Public Library, while also gathering several prestigious literary awards.

LaValle's book reflects many episodes from his own family history. For example, Apollo's mother is an African immigrant whose husband disappeared when the child was only four years old. LaValle's parents are also immigrants from Uganda, and he himself grew up in Queens (just like Apollo) and was raised by a single mother.

His own tender relationship with literature finds continuation in the work of Apollo and Emma, both connected to books. LaValle himself is a bookworm: after graduating from Woodmere Academy, he obtained a degree in English from Cornell University (which is part of the Ivy League), as well as a master's degree in fine arts and creative writing from Columbia University. He uses his acquired experience and background in his own works, blending reality with mysticism and ancient folklore.

The adaptation of the book for the series is handled by screenwriter Kelly Marcel, who previously wrote the script for "Cruella" with Emma Stone and is preparing for her directorial debut with the third "Venom". Marcel managed to capture the spirit of the original novel, which partly resembles "What Dreams May Come" with Robin Williams (also an adaptation of Richard Matheson's book) and "Lisey's Story" (another Apple TV+ project) based on Stephen King's novel, starring Julianne Moore and Clive Owen. In all of these stories, the characters embark on journeys to other wondrous or terrifying worlds to find their loved ones.

Apollo, like another ancient hero Odysseus, embarks on a quest to find Emma, driven not so much by the mystery of her disappearance, but by inner anger. He dreams of finding his wife to confront her about the pain she caused him and to inflict pain upon her as well. But the further he travels, the more mysterious this journey becomes.

Impressive in the series is not only the cleverly constructed plot about real and imaginary worlds, and the cunning nature of humanity, but also the visual aspect. And although the project has four directors, it is the director Melina Matsoukas who sets the tone, being well-versed in both grand poetry (having directed the best music videos of Rihanna and Beyoncé, including the musical film Lemonade) and stories about the hardships of life in modern metropolises, the rhythm of which can truly drive one insane (the series "White Raven").

However, the unbearable dynamics of the big city rhymes here with even more powerful forces. In ancient European folklore, "The Changeling" referred to creatures that evil spirits substituted for stolen children. According to the belief, they could be abducted if they were not baptized in order to protect them from otherworldly evil. In the series, Apollo's devout mother, a woman with a tumultuous fate, insists on the necessity of baptizing her grandson. But her son and daughter-in-law resist, not believing in ancient tales.

This reference to folklore suggests that perhaps the evil in the world of the series can be reversed. What if the deceased child was not real, and Apollo and Emma have a chance to save their son? What if the evil curse of the encountered witch can be reversed? What if all of this is just a terrifying dream from which one can awaken?

The creators of the series confuse the viewer until the very end, leading them into the thickest part of this ominous forest. With the skill of a gambler, they shuffle drama, mysticism, and a grand love story all in one deck, which, as we know, conquers all. And evil, and death, and terrifying curses that become less powerful as one believes in them, losing all power over us in the light of day.