Those of who who foolishly believed this movie was going to promote
understanding of autism so that "this could never happen again" will be
especially interested in this.
Sign the petition if you haven't yet:
http://www.gopetition.com/region/237/1390.html
>>>>My name is Matthew Hoge, and I'm the writer and director of 'The United
States of Leland.' I'm very concerned about the reaction our film is causing
in your community, and I'm grateful that I was made aware of this petition
so that I might be able to share some of my thoughts with you.
'The United States of Leland'is NOT about the sympathy killing of an
autistic child by a 'hero.&.' This synopsis (or something similar) evidently
appears on many websites, and it is greatly inaccurate. The downside of the
Internet is that it has the potential to spread false information like
wildfire, and I'm afraid that's what has happened here.
Turning a person who murders a child into a hero would be despicable.
Advancing the idea that certain children with special needs are better off
dead is appalling. I assure you that this is not our agenda.
My mother has been a special education teacher for over a decade. She cares
about her students as if they were her own children. I learned a great deal
from hearing her discuss the joys and challenges of working with her
students. I worked briefly in a similar classroom setting, and was inspired
and moved by the children I met. I couldn’t agree more that these
children don't need sympathy. They need understanding, they need tolerance,
they need support.
What is 'The United States of Leland' really about? It's about a deeply
troubled youth, Leland, who tragically projects his own inner turmoil onto a
mentally handicapped child. In no way is Leland presented as heroic. His
actions are not condoned, and they can never be forgiven. The motivations
for the crime are complex, relating to Leland' family and personal life.
The outbreak of violent acts perpetrated by young people in our society is
disturbing. I worked for two years as a teacher in the juvenile hall system,
and encountered many cases firsthand. We've all heard the stories kids
bringing guns to school, kids harming their parents, kids hurting other
kids. How can things like this happen?
This is the question at the heart of 'The United States of Leland.' The film
looks at the events that lead up to a terrible tragedy. The goal is to
analyze a crime that seems incomprehensible. The hope is that, by doing so,
we might be able to shed some light on important issues relating to acts of
violence committed by young people.
I'm sorry that you have learned about our film through inaccurate sources,
and I appreciate the opportunity to dispel the misconceptions about 'The
United States of Leland.' Thank you for your time and open-minded
consideration.
Matthew Ryan Hoge<<<<<
Thousand Words website: (Thousand Words is the production company)
http://www.thousand-words.com/pro/leland.html
Leland Fitzgerald (Ryan Gosling) develops a friendship with a teacher, Pearl
Madison (Don Cheadle), at the juvenile hall after Pearl approaches him with
the simple question: "why?" Pearl, an aspiring writer, sees in Leland an
intelligent and compassionate teenager who seems the antithesis of a
criminal.
Especially affected by the tragedy that sent Leland to the juvenile hall is
Becky Pollard (Jena Malone), his one time girlfriend with whom he struggled
in their attempts to sustain a relationship. Leland has been an enigma to
Becky. Though, like Pearl, she sees in him something wonderful, despite what
has happened.
The United States of Leland is the story of an extraordinary young
individual that begins with a tragedy, but ultimately inspires those
surrounding him to make tremendously positive changes in their lives.
In my opinion, the movie is even worse than we originally thought. The
murderer is not a hero, he's just "an extraordinary young individual."
MY RESPONSE:
Your own website states exactly the same things as numerous other websites,
so please don't insult us by saying "Leland" is not the hero of the movie.
He's made the hero by his teacher and girlfriend -- according to the
official website.
The fact that the movie portrays an autistic child being murdered is reason
enough for us to be upset.
Should the investors be less-than-scrupulous Hollywood financier-types (oh,
imagine that!) or if the movie is a big flop, the U.S. Government is
guaranteeing 90% of loans will be repaid -- by, what else? Taxpayer dollars.
That's ludicrous, especially when you consider that the federal government
funds less than 30% of the funding needed for IDEA.
Why did the child have to be autistic? Do you realize the impact movies have
on teenagers? Do you realize that our children are the most perfect victims
because of the inability to communicate?
Our children are already considered less than human by society. Thanks for
adding to their problems for the sake of a buck. Thanks so much.
Why not prove you're not a complete opportunist who is exploiting the
disbled by pledging half the profits of the film to autism research or
programs for the autistic?
One in 500 children born today are autistic. Think about that.
Sissi
Kids' Page
http://www.isoa.net/~nitetrax/dillon.htm
Boone's Art
http://www.isoa.net/~nitetrax/bart.htm
