The United States Of Leland (DVD)

...bow and bury it in the back hard. Bury it down so deep, it's like it never happened."

A brief overview:

What is the reason that a 15-year-old boy would stab an innocent mentally handicapped teenager to death? This powerful film deals on that very event and the effects it has. Leland P. Fitzgerald is arrested after killing Ryan, the younger brother of Becky Pollard. Everyone wants to know the reason as to why, even ...
...un-happen.

The movie focuses what led to the murder, why it took place, and how the community was affected by it. The murder makes everyone examine their own lives and some come to the realization that they must change.

This movie boasts a powerful cast:

Leland P. Fitzgerald played by Ryan Gosling is the main character. He is a teenager who seems to not care about his future. He goes through what all ... more

"Maybe somewhere in all of this, there's a why. Maybe somewhere there's that thing that lets you tie it up in a neat bow and bury it in the back hard. Bury it down so deep, it's like it never happened."

A brief overview:

What is the reason that a 15-year-old boy would stab an innocent mentally handicapped teenager to death? This powerful film deals on that very event and the effects it has. Leland P. Fitzgerald is arrested after killing Ryan, the younger brother of Becky Pollard. Everyone wants to know the reason as to why, even Leland himself is confused about why he did it. All he knows is that he sees sadness in everyone, and every time he sees it, his heart breaks. He sees this sadness most in Ryan; and he had to make it go away. Pearl Madison is a worn-out teacher who is trying to find this reason so that he can write a book about Leland. In his conversations with Pearl, Leland comes to realize that what he did cannot be taken back; there is nothing that can make what happen un-happen.

The movie focuses what led to the murder, why it took place, and how the community was affected by it. The murder makes everyone examine their own lives and some come to the realization that they must change.

This movie boasts a powerful cast:

Leland P. Fitzgerald played by Ryan Gosling is the main character. He is a teenager who seems to not care about his future. He goes through what all teenagers go through, but is greatly affected by it.

Pearl Madison is played by Don Cheadle. Pearl is a writer as well as a teacher at the juvenile facility. He wants to take this tragic event and make a name for himself. He is cheated on his girlfriend who is out of the country. He learns from Leland that what he did cannot be taken back.

Albert T. Fitzgerald played by Kevin Spacey is Leland's coldhearted father. He is a famous author who has divorced Leland's mom and lives in Paris. He sends Leland plane tickets to visit various places around the world when Leland is supposed to be visiting him.

Marybeth Fitzgerald is played by Lena Olin. She is a single mother who cares about her child deeply. She was greatly hurt by her husband and feels that she did something wrong in raising Leland.

Becky Pollard played by Jena Malone is Ryan's sister and Leland's ex-girlfriend. She is a junkie who is having a hard time dealing with the world. A few days before Leland kills Ryan, Becky had dumped him. She goes back to live with her dealer when Ryan is killed.

Julie Pollard played by Michelle Williams is Ryan's oldest sister. She is a very bright girl who got into all of the colleges she applied to. She is confused about the choice she has to make between going to the college she wants to and going to the college with her boyfriend.

Allen Harris is played by Chris Klein. Chris is Julie's boyfriend and he is living with the Pollards because his mother died and he has no one. He gets dumped by his girlfriend when Ryan dies and he has no where to turn.

For those who want to know, the title is from the diary Leland keeps in the juvenile hall. He calls it the United States of Leland.

My take on the USL:

This movie shows the darker side of life and how everyone has their own problems that are very hard to deal with. Even though this is a gloomy film, there are a few lessons to learn; as Pearl learns from Leland's regret, we must all learn that things cannot be taken back. Also, life is hard, but it is ok to be sad at time.

I have two problems with this film; one is the reaction of Ryan's family to his murder. Is seems to be that it wasn't too realistic. I think there would be much more anger, rather than just sadness and confusion. My other problem is that Leland seems void of all emotions throughout the movie. I understand that he is supposed to be this messed up teen that doesn't care about anything, but it still seems weird. Well I guess I'm just complaining that Ryan Gosling was too good at playing Leland.

This movie is a very emotional and thought provoking movie that will have you thinking about right and wrong and about humanity in general.

As an additional note, this movie is rated R for language and some drug content, so it is not appropriate for everyone.

To learn more about this movie and to listen to some great music check out this site:

http://www.paramountclassics.com/leland/main.html

 

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