Review of The United States of Leland (2003) by Martha M — 11 Oct 2007
â??Maybe somewhere in all this thereâ??s a reasonâ?¦â?? proclaims writer and director, Matthew Ryan Hoge in his shattering feature film debut The United States of Leland. This thought provoking drama grapples with the timeless question of â??whyâ??.
Why life, why death, why anything and Hoge artfully addresses this mystery through the prism of events following 16 year old Leland Fitzgeraldâ??s murder of an autistic boy in suburbia. Viewers will either accept or be frustrated by the fact that Hoge does not attempt to â??tie everything up in a neat bow and bury it in the backyardâ??.
Indeed his intention is to draw a parallel between his diegetic world and the feeling of nihilism ever present in the world at large. â??Maybe somewhere in all of this thereâ??s a reasonâ?? but maybe there isnâ??t.
The United States of Leland is striking in itâ??s depiction of the world as is - perplexing, to be continuedâ?¦ and profoundly sad.
This review of The United States of Leland (2003) was written by Martha M on 11 Oct 2007.
The United States of Leland has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
