| 16 year old Leland P.
Fitzgerald is a murderer, having brutally killed a young autistic boy,
stabbing him some 20 times with a butcher knife. The son of a famous
author, no one can understand what would possess a young man with his
opportunities and potential to commit such a heinous crime. As he sits
in juvenile hall awaiting trial, Leland is befriended by Pearl Madison,
a teacher and aspiring writer, who engages Leland in countless
interviews under the guise of understanding Leland’s mind, the trigger
that set him off and the answer to the question, “Why?”. But the
more Pearl questions Leland, who has an answer and explanation for
everything he has done, the more Pearl smells money and decides to use
Leland as the subject of a book.
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Photo © Copyright Paramount Classics
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Defying prison protocol, Pearl manages to
secretly meet and “counsel” Leland. But as his questions become more
pointed and delving, Leland’s own web of intrigue and despair deepens,
providing an unsettling and disturbing look at the influences and
individuals who factored into his crime. Was it being dumped by his
girlfriend the night before the murder that sent him over the edge? Was
it the fact his ex-girlfriend was the victim’s sister? Was it the
aloofness and disinterest of Leland’s own parents? Or was it the
disapproval of the girlfriend’s parents?
Intelligent in his own right, Leland soon
begins to suspect Pearl is not what he seems to be and that helping
Leland is not his primary focus. Becoming the aggressor and challenging
Pearl at every turn, we soon see a dark side to Pearl not previously
disclosed and one that itself, has moral repercussions. The more
contentious the relationship the two becomes, the more the outside world
becomes influenced by their respective actions giving rise to more
violence as well as the potential for change by them and those around
them.
Quickly proving to be one of the most
talented newcomers of his generation, Ryan Gosling brings an effective
sensitivity to Leland Fitzgerald that appears to taunt - and tear away
at - the very moral fabric of our society and “respectable”
sensibilities. Intently tacit and introspective, Gosling gives an
unsettling understated performance that lingers long after the film’s
end. First exploding onto the scene at Sundance 2000 with his portrayal
of a Jewish Nazi-sympathizing skinhead in “The Believer”, Gosling
proves to still be a festival favorite with his portrayal of Leland.
Equally as powerful is Don Cheadle with an intensely riveting
performance as Pearl Madison. Kevin Spacey, as the cold and indifferent
Albert Fitzgerald, adds even more dimension to the film with razor-sharp
delivery as cold and callous as his character, slicing through the heart
at every turn. Supporting performances by Michelle Williams, Jan Malone
and Chris Klein are also emotionally charged and affecting, intertwining
and enhancing the moral dichotomy of the story.
Written and directed by Matthew Ryan Hoge,
the script is not only profound, but incredibly tight, nuanced with
subtleties and sub-plots that intersect and come together at all the
right moments. Based on Hoge’s own experiences while working in the
Los Angeles juvenile detention system, the work is insightful,
challenging our perceptions of right and wrong, good and evil and the
realities of the life in which we live. Essentially broken into two
segments, the lives that are lived before the murder and the lives that
are lived after, Hoge’s story unfolds with a gradual unsettling ease
that fulfills its potential for optimism despite its dark focus.
James Glennon, cinematographer for “About
Schmidt”, turns in another fine work here, giving a glossy appeal to
the film that enhances the dichotomous and dark tones of the overall
piece. Adding a silky slickness to Hoge’s unique visual subtley of
having Leland winking different eyes with each interpretive perceptive
change, editor Jeff Betancourt interweaves the multiple story arcs and
keeps the film moving at a smooth steady pace.
Eloquent. Insightful. Thought provoking.
Melodramatic. “The United States of Leland” will find you
questioning some of your own choices in life and asking that penultimate
question of “Why.”
Leland Fitzgerald: Ryan Gosling Pearl
Madison: Don Cheadle Albert Fitzgerald: Kevin Spacey Marybeth
Fitzgerald: Lena Olin Michelle Williams: Julie Pollard Jan Malone: Becky
Pollard Chris Klein: Allen Harris
Written and Directed by Matthew Ryan Hoge.
Rated R. (108 min)
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