People have a difficult time with mystery. They always want to know the reasons behind things that happen. Why? is the key question on the lips of a person suffering from a terrible illness, from a mother who has lost a child in an accident, from a lover who has been jilted, from a survivor of a natural disaster, and from the millions of others who are baffled and buffeted by circumstances beyond their control. But sometimes there is no rational answer to why any of these things happen — we cannot solve the mystery. And that makes us miserable. The United States of Leland is an ethically complicated drama that creatively explores this fascinating philosophical subject. It is written and directed by Matthew Ryan Hoge and has a top-drawer cast.
Leland Fitzgerald (Ryan Gosling) is a smart adolescent whose father, Albert (Kevin Spacey), is a famous novelist who has separated from his wife, Marybeth (Lena Olin). One day Leland is picked up and accused of the terrible crime of stabbing to death an autistic boy. He cannot remember what happened that day but he has plenty of memories of his love relationship with Becky (Jena Malone), the boy's troubled sister. The murder of their son leaves her parents (Martin Donovan and Ann Magnuson) angry and bewildered. How could Leland have done such a thing? The loss of her brother leaves the boy's other sister, Julie (Michele Williams), pondering her relationship with her live-in-boyfriend, Allen (Chris Klein), and wondering what she really wants to do next. One murder — and many lives become unraveled as a consequence.
Sent to a juvenile hall to await trial, Leland meets Pearl Madison (Don Cheadle), a teacher at the prison who is an aspiring writer. He takes an immediate interest in this young man who is keeping a journal and looking for someone to talk to. Leland senses that Pearl, like everyone else, wants to find out why he murdered the boy. In a series of secret meetings, the two of them talk about love, heartbreak, dishonesty, God and the Devil, right and wrong. Leland shares stories about his relationship with Becky, his breakup with her, his travels, and his father. Pearl actually makes contact with Leland's father, and the self-centered and very cocky novelist immediately discerns that he wants to exploit his son in a work of fiction. That's not too far off the mark even though Pearl thinks that he is also helping Leland by getting him to talk about the feelings behind his detached demeanor.
This richly philosophical drama about the mysteries of human nature has much to recommend it. We gain insight from Leland's perspective into the sadness of so many people whose lives have been drained of meaning through heartbreak, loss, disappointment, and self-destruction. The film also is powerful in its depiction of the many ways in which people are violated by society.
