029: Review on 'The United States of Leland'
Submitted by pce_azn on Fri, 09/08/2006 - 11:48
Tags:
- Everything Is Going To Be Okay
- "I think there are two ways you can see the world. You can either see the sadness that's behind everything or you choose to keep it all out."~Leland Fitzgerald.
- In the 2003 independant film 'The United States of Leland', the audience is given the oppertunity to question the motives of a killer. Leland P. Fitzgerald, played by Ryan Gosling in one of his best roles, is a murderer. That is known from the opening scenes. Nonetheless, his character isn't the antagonist of the story. Rather than feeling angry towards him, the audience, as well as the other characters in the film, are merely trying to understand what could have caused Leland to commit such a heinous crime. Matthew Ryan Hoge, directing only his second film to date, takes the viewer on a journey into the lives of all those affected by the murder. The film begins with the murder. The color in the film is much like those you would see in old family photos; it's overly cheerful and slightly paled, contrasting the dark themes of the film. The crime itself is filmed with a hand-held camera and goes by fast, so quickly, in fact, that at first it's hard for one to register until the pieces finally come together. While the audience views the dead body of a boy, Leland's haunting narrative begins, describing how he can't remember what he did.
- Leland P. Fitzgerald is a troubled teen, as are most, with a distant mother (Lena Olin) and an absent father (Kevin Spacey). Tragedy stikes his small town when he kills Ryan Pollard, an austistic boy. The immidiate reaction of everyone affected is that it was because of Leland's break up with Becky Pollard (Jena Malone), the victim's sister. However, that is not the case, as is discovered by Pearl Madison (Don Cheadle), Leland's teacher at the juvenile detention center he is sent to for his actions. Pearl is intrigued by the boy, as are the audience, and encourages him to write his feelings down in a journal. The movie is narrated by Leland's thoughts as they are put down on paper, but rarely do they give the viewer the answers they want. For you see, it is not Leland's anger or alienation that causes him to act so rashly, it is his empathy. In order to truly understand Leland, the audience must look at the world from his perspective. This young boy is incredibly wise for his age and understands the world in ways few do. As stated in the opening sentence, one can either travel into Leland's mind and see things that are very true, even today, or they can choose to keep it out.
- 'The United States of Leland' is a story that challenges the viewer to examine right and wrong. Just as his victim was mentally disabled, Leland himself can be construed as 'sick'. His obsession with the sadness of the world can be seen as a mental illness, and his insight into the world's problems show that Leland is more complex than most teen killers. Instead of being someone the audience can hate, instead they feel themselves growing closer to this boy and sympathizing with him and his family, just as much as the victim's. This is mostly because of Ryan Gosling, the now-25 year old actor critics are calling the next Sean Penn. Indeed, the actor has brought interesting characters to the screen in the past, Leland being one more multi-dimensional boy.
- As the film progresses one can observe that while Pearl is attempting to help Leland, it is really Leland who is helping Pearl. Pearl becomes lost inside the "United States of Leland". It's not until the film's ironically tragic end that Pearl -and the audience- realize exactly what Leland has been trying to teach. In a story full of character-based subplots, it's Leland's who determines the sucess of the screenplay. Instead of being seen as a vicious killer who stabbed a challenged boy twenty times, instead he is a boy capable of seeing people's frustrations and wants. The United States of Leland is sad, disturbing and just a little bit hopeful. In the end, this film is one that can open one's eyes if they let it, and, as is said in the movie, "you have to believe life is more than the sum of it's parts".
