The story begins in 1994, when the Malaysian press revealed that then Malacca chief minister Rahim Tamby Chik apparently had been led astray by a 15-year-old schoolgirl. (The accused's rivals in the dominant national party UMNO leaked the tawdry details.) Rahim was subjected to a vicious character assassination by a wide spectrum of society, including his party colleagues and the government-controlled media.

CNN: Truth and Consequence

Angelina Jolie may be the most formidable of the lot, and "Changeling" -- which opens in wide release Friday -- is both a forceful testament to the perseverance of a single mother (Jolie's character, Christine Collins) and a damning indictment of unfettered patriarchal power in the late 1920s.

CNN: Review: Jolie outstanding in Eastwood's 'Changeling'