Join Protests of United States of Leland Film
Stephen Drake of Not Dead Yet <Sndrake@aol.com>
and Nancy Weiss of TASH <nweiss@tash.org>
write:
The movie The United States of Leland is opening tomorrow (Friday, April 16)
across the country [In California (Palm Springs & San Luis Obispo),
Connecticut (Bantam?), Florida (Orlando, Sarasota, Jacksonville & Tampa),
Georgia (Atlanta); Indiana (Indianapolis), Maryland (Baltimore), New Mexico
(Albuquerque & Santa Fe), Buffalo New York, North Carolina, Ohio (Columbus);
Texas (Austin & San Antonio), Utah (Salt Lake City), Vermont (Burlington),
Virginia (Richmond) and Canada (Edmonton)] - - and maybe more -- check your
listings and see attached list (April 16th openings) for more specifics.
DISABILITY ADVOCATES ARE NEEDED IN EACH OF THESE CITIES TO CONTACT PRESS NOW
AND TO HAND OUT PROTEST FLYERS! (see sample flyer attached -- feel free to
change & personalize). If you can work on organizing this in your city, please
forward this to local advocates with info. specific to your city and plans.
The subtitle of the movie is: "Crime. Confusion. Compassion. They're all just
states of mind." The murder victim (a young man with autism) is portrayed as
an object, a plot device, rather than a real human being -- with the sympathy
vote going to the person who committed the murder. When this film was first
being promoted in 2002, the description (still being run on many movie sites)
read in part: "This is the story of a sensitive teenager, Leland, faced with
issues of morality and hope under difficult circumstances, who is arrested and
sent to juvenile hall, after he kills an autistic child out of sympathy (sort
of like an emotional euthanasia)." Other comments have indicated that a focus
of the film lies in exploring the "unexpected good" that emerges as a result
of the act of murder.
One reviewer said, "Where 'Leland' crosses the line to reprehensible, is in
its blatant attempt to elicit sympathy for Leland (the person who committed
the murder) and none at all for the slain child, Ryan. Perhaps the most
shocking line of all is spoken by Ryan's mother who in her grief expresses
bewilderment at Leland's having murdered her son, who she describes as having
"nothing there." Anyone who has the least knowledge at all about having an
emotional attachment to a child -- let alone that of a loving parent -- would
know how repulsive and unrealistic that line really is."
Would anyone promote a movie that tries to get the audience to see the
sensitive side of a murderer if his victim had been a popular cheerleader?
Just your average kid? Or even a representative of another disenfranchised
minority group? The plot depends on the victim being someone the audience
won't identify with --- it's a movie that uses some of the most damaging
stereotypes of people with disabilities as a way to gain an audience, make
money, and promote the view that crimes against people with disabilities are
justifiable. Please see the sample flyer for more info.
The movie is being distributed by Paramount Classics . To get information on
where and when the film is opening, go to:
http://www.paramountclassics.com/leland/main.html
Click the tab labeled "find a theatre."
For a review of the movie that is fairly informative, go to this URL:
http://www.orbitalreviews.com/pages/movie/Leland.shtml
Also attached find a review by Mike Ervin and a letter from Dick Sobsey which
may be useful in your press contacts. I'd appreciate your letting me (nweiss@tash.org)
and Stephen Drake of Not Dead Yet (sndrake@aol.com) know of your plans and how
it goes. Feel free to use us as resources too.
Thanks --
Nancy Weiss & Stephen Drake
Stephen Drake
Research Analyst
Not Dead Yet
7521 Madison St.
Forest Park, IL 60130
708-209-1500
sndrake@aol.com
http://www.notdeadyet.org
Nancy R. Weiss, Executive Director
TASH
29 W. Susquehanna Ave., Suite 210
Baltimore, MD 21204
phone: 410-828-8274, ext. 101
fax: 410-828-6706
www.tash.org
=====================
The Disability Rights Community Protests This Movie: The United States of
Leland
Why we are protesting?: The United States of Leland examines the motives of a
teenager who brutally murders a boy with autism. The film suggests that the
killer is full of empathy and kills out of kindness - stabbing the young man
with autism 19 times. The film downplays the horrors of the murder by
soliciting empathy for the perpetrator of the crime.
We object to the way the victim, who has disabilities is portrayed in the
film. The film's writer and director, Matthew Ryan Hoge chose a victim he
could objectify and with whom he did not think audiences would identify. In
fact, the mother of the young man with autism who is killed describes him as
having "nothing there." Every parent should know how repulsive and unrealistic
that line really is. Parents of children with disabilities love their children
no less powerfully than do parents of children who do not have disabilities.
Could you imagine promoting a movie premised on evoking sympathy for a
murderer if the victim had been 'just a kid' instead of a young man with
autism? Our fear is that audiences may be all too ready to sympathize with the
killer simply because his victim is someone they don't see as important or as
valued as others. We've seen it play out too many times in real life. We ask
you to think critically about the role of disability in this film:
<><><><>
Fact: Violence against disabled people is a prevalent and serious problem.
Children with disabilities are at least three times as likely as non-disabled
children to be victims of abuse. One expert identified 2,370 homicides or
attempted homicides involving victims with developmental disabilities,
including 49 homicides of people with autism in the U.S. since 1997. Only 26
of these resulted in charges at all -- and only 11 led to convictions. Only
one of these led to a death sentence, none resulted in life sentences, only 7
of the convicted murders served any jail time (average time served was 16
months) and 3 convicted perpetrators received only probation. Sadly, films
like this help justify crimes against people with disabilities.
Questions: In what ways do these facts reflect the extent to which people with
disabilities are devalued by our culture? Does The United States of Leland
excuse violence against disabled people as a compassionate act rather than a
hate crime?
<><><><>
Fact: People with disabilities, including people with autism and cognitive
disabilities, are human beings who deserve to be respected and valued.
Question: Does the movie treat Ryan, the murder victim, as a person, or as a
stereotype? Is he a real character in the film, or just a plot device?
<><><><>
For more information contact: XXX:
Phone:
e-mail:
Website:
========================
Euthanasia Made Easy
The United States of Leland, Directed and directed by Matthew Ryan Hoge
Review by Mike Ervin
A few years back some disability-rights activists were offended by the movie
There's Something About Mary. I wholeheartedly disagreed. Sure, the Farrelly
brothers threw in scenes that showed people with disabilities as clumsy and
bossy, but it was all funny and close to the truth. I would have been more
offended had the Farrelly brothers left us out. They satirize everything and
everyone else. Why not us? (I use a motorized wheelchair.) Do they think we're
too fragile to take it?
So I wasn't sure what to think about the campaign to organize a boycott of The
United States of Leland launched last year by Ellen Sweeney, a New Jersey
mother of a seven- year-old son with autism. Reviews of the film in the
mainstream press have been mixed: Roger Ebert called it "a moral muddle" but
lauded some of the performances; Jan Stuart, writing in Newsday, hailed it as
"a bracing gust of fresh air amid a season thick with high-volume, low-think
entertainment." But activists have been organizing protests nationwide. Last
weekend's opening at the Esquire was leafleted by members of the Forest
Park-based disability rights group Not Dead Yet.
Sweeney hasn't seen the movie, and isn't planning to -- she doesn't think she
could take it. She's based her objections on the synopsis provided by
Paramount Pictures, which describes the main character, Leland Fitzgerald
(Ryan Gosling), as a "sensitive teenager" who "kills an autistic child out of
sympathy (sort of like an emotional euthanasia)."
"My son was low functioning when he was first diagnosed," says Sweeney. "He
had self-injuring behavior and was very aggressive. He was nonverbal. He's
very verbal now. He's very affectionate now. He used to hit me if I tried to
touch him. He functions a grade level above the grade he's in."
She was also alarmed by an open letter from writer and director Matthew Ryan
Hoge that she says used to be on the movie's Web site. It's now posted on the
site for her boycott, www.gopetition.com/online/1390.html. Hoge wrote of
Leland, "His fatal flaw is that he feels too much. The audience will, at
first, be intrigued by Leland to then [sic] sympathizing with him; and,
hopefully, by the end of the film, they will care for him deeply."
"My mouth dropped open when I read this," says Sweeney.
That does sound ominous when you consider how much of that sort of
sympathizing goes on in the real world. Dick Sobsey is the director of the
J.P. Das Developmental Disabilities Centre at the University of Alberta in
Edmonton. He's collected news accounts of 2,370 homicides or attempted
homicides of people with developmental disabilities, and he's found 113
accounts of homicides of people with autism since 1997. They were beaten,
bludgeoned, burned, shot, asphyxiated, poisoned, and, like the boy Leland
kills, stabbed. More than 70 percent of the accused murderers were family
members or caregivers.
Defense attorneys and the accused inevitably play the pity card, says Sobsey.
They depict the victim's existence as nothing but a tragic burden and the
accused as simply overwhelmed by the sadness of it all. This spin often
results in tremendous community and media pressure on judges and prosecutors
to go easy on the accused, and quite often translates into lighter sentences
or acquittal. Of the 53 reported homicides of people with autism in the U.S.
and Canada in his study, just 26 resulted in charges and 14 brought
convictions. Only ten of the convicted killers were sentenced to jail; the
average time served was 16 months. One person received the death penalty.
This is why lots of disabled folks and their families and friends get so
emotional about the dehumanization of pity. It's a cheap device that's been
used to soft-pedal a lot of mistreatment. But how much does The United States
of Leland play into this?
In the film, Leland is sent to juvenile detention after he stabs Ryan (Michael
Welch), the autistic brother of his girlfriend (Jena Malone), in a public
park. From there the plot focuses on the soul-searching the characters,
including Leland, undertake to figure out how this soft-spoken, gentle teen
could do such a thing.
Ryan is certainly a caricature. He fidgets, stares into oblivion, cries, and
repeats the phrase, "Sing a song." His parents seem to derive no joy or
anything positive from his existence. After his death his mother (Ann
Magnuson) only says of him, "He was barely there."
But the other characters in Leland are paper-thin as well. Leland's estranged
father (Kevin Spacey) is a bitter, nihilistic novelist. Leland's teacher in
prison (Don Cheadle, in a role Hoge says is based on his own experience) is a
softhearted liberal inexplicably fascinated by this shrugging, inarticulate
kid. Leland is a brooding teen beaten down by the emptiness of a life of
privilege. Leland's girlfriend is a drug addict for no apparent reason.
Hoge provides no original insight into incarceration, drug abuse, or the
pointless infidelity that abounds, so you shouldn't expect to learn anything
about autism either. What you get instead is a grating melodrama aimed
squarely at the Dawson's Creek demographic.
There are plenty of good artistic reasons to not go see Leland, and some good
political ones emerge at the very end of the film. Leland says in a voice-over
that he now realizes he did what he did because there was so much sadness all
around. And nowhere was this sadness more apparent than in the face of
autistic Ryan. He just wanted all the sadness to stop. In the final scene, a
flashback, Leland hugs and consoles the flustered Ryan and tells him not to
worry, that everything will be all right. This is right before he kills him.
Ellen Sweeney worries about copycats. "It happens with TV shows and music, why
couldn't it happen with a movie? You have Gosling and these teen idols and a
younger crowd going to see this movie."
I think the more clear and present danger is that prolonged exposure to Leland
could greatly increase one's susceptibility to the pity defense. I wonder if
the idea of a victim with autism was appealing to Hoge because it turned what
would otherwise be clear-cut brutality into something grayer and subject to
debate. Audience members who hop on that ride may well be more inclined to do
the same the next time the opportunity arises in real life.
Hoge doesn't go so far as to say Leland did a good thing by murdering Ryan.
That's not his agenda. But he spends an awful lot of time trying to get us to
understand Leland and almost none trying to get us to understand his victim.
===========================
Stephen Drake, Research Analyst
Not Dead Yet
7521 Madison St.
Forest Park, IL 60130
Dear Steve:
Thank you for sharing your concern about the film United States of Leland and
the message that it sends that killing a person with autism might be somehow
justifiable. Although I haven't seen the film, I share your concerns.
As someone who has studied violence and particularly the ways that violence
affects people with disabilities, I am acutely aware of how attitudes and
beliefs about disability contribute to this problem. As someone who co-teaches
a graduate level course on portrayals of people with disabilities in film and
other media, I am acutely aware of the role of popular film in shaping these
attitudes. As a member of the Non-Governmental Organizations Advisory Panel to
the United Nations Study of Violence Against Children, I am acutely aware of
the magnitude of the problem of violence around the world.
First, I need to tell you that you are not the only person who is concerned
that this film trivializes the killing of people with autism and other
disabilities. I have heard from many others who share your concern, including
parents of children with autism, people with disabilities, and members of the
general public. Some have seen the film and some have not, but so far I have
encountered no one whose concerns have been set aside after seeing the film.
People have been clear that it is as bad or worse than they thought. For
example, a number of people have pointed out the fact that the writers put the
words in the murder victim's mother's mouth that there was "nothing there" in
the victim. Not only does this paint an unrealistic and unflattering picture
of parents of children with autism, it epitomizes the way that film and other
media can depersonalize the victims of violence to minimize their suffering
and loss. By contrast, judging by the trailer and other materials distributed
by the studio, the entire film focuses on creating a sensitive and likable
killer.
Second, I can tell you exactly what is known in psychology about the effect of
media on violent behavior. Merely portraying violence does not always lead to
violence. However, the manner in which violence is portrayed can influence
violent behavior. Violence in film is most likely to influence others when:
a. The perpetrator is portrayed with sympathy or is shown as an attractive or
likable individual.
b. Rationales are suggested as to why the violence might be understandable,
justifiable, or even heroic.
c. The victim is portrayed as a unidimensional character with minimal
personalization that others might identify with. (It is interesting that of
reviews of this film, the victim and the actor who played him are
conspicuously absent. A quick search of the internet found about 9500 sites
that say something about this movie; 810 mentioned the actor who played the
perpetrator and 32 mentioned the actor who plays the victim. Of those that I
actually viewed who even mention the role, the victim is consistently last
(even when not alphabetical) and consistently is only listed as a name without
any discussion of the character. Without having seen the film, I would be
willing to bet that the victim spends little time on screen and has few if any
close ups, the perpetrator will be ever present and often in close-up.)
d. The violence is explained in part by the victim's characteristics, and the
emphasized characteristics are not shared by the audience (the mother's
statement that there is "nothing there" in this victim epitomizes this).
e. The perpetrator does not demonstrate unambiguous remorse for the violence.
f. The perpetrator is portrayed as a protagonist in the story.
g. The violence is compared to transgressions generally considered to be less
repugnant (yes, I am a mass murderer, but other people litter).
Third, Violence against people with disabilities is a major problem in
society. Unfortunately, we do not have complete data for all categories of
offenses. However, several studies indicate that children with disabilities
are at least three times as likely as other children to be abused. Studies of
adults suggest a similar picture, suggesting that adults with disabilities are
about four times as likely to be victims of violent crime than other adults.
There is limited data on homicide, but our own data records more than 2000
cases of homicides involving victims with developmental disabilities including
more than 100 cases involving victims with autism. Our work at the University
of Alberta has been used by other researchers, law enforcement and a variety
of others to address violence against people with disabilities. Our analysis
stresses the role of perpetrators' constructions of rationalizations for these
crimes. We believe that these rationales are essential to overcoming
inhibitions that would otherwise control violent behavior. Sadly, films like
this contribute greatly to social endorsement, the process by which society
helps perpetrators justify their actions. They do not suddenly turn people who
have no inclination toward violence into killers. Rather, they simply will
allow the small portion of people who are hovering near the brink, but who
would otherwise not act on their violent impulses, to carry out rather than
suppress their violent thoughts.
We have commonly seen this in the killing of children with autism and other
disabilities. One parent kills a child, the killer is treated sympathetically
by the press that suggest that the killing may have been justifiable, and
other parents kill their children. As a result these acts often occur in
clusters. We've been able to track this effect in Canada and it has
unquestionably led to the killing of more children. There is less information
about the effect of fictional portrayals, but the central issue is not whether
the case is real but whether it is portrayed as being realistic. In other
words, it is not important whether the case happened but rather whether the
viewer believes that it could have happened.
Children and adults with autism have clearly been a part of this pattern. In
fact, there is an article in peer-reviewed medical literature by Mark Palermo
about parents killing children with autism discussing risk factors that
clearly identifies how these kinds of attitudes and beliefs can contribute to
this problem. (Palermo, M. T. (2003). Preventing filicide in families with
autistic children. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative
Criminology, 47(1), 47-57)
In our look at killings of people with autism, the most distressing factor is
that sentences are often light or not existent. In four Canadian Cases since
1997 and 2003, three led to murder charges. All three were plea bargained and
received suspended sentences. In the 49 US cases since 1997 (this includes
only cases recorded in our database which does not include all cases that
occur), 26 resulted in charges and only 11 led to convictions. One resulted in
a death penalty. None resulted in life sentences, 7 led to jail time (average
jail sentences were 16 months). Three convicted perpetrators (3) received only
probation.
Films like this can only be expected to add to the problem.
Sincerely,
Dick Sobsey
Professor of Educational Psychology and Health Ethics
===========================
APRIL 16th openings for United States of Leland
California:
Palm Springs at Courtyard; San Luis Obispo at Palm
Connecticut:
Bantam at Cinema
Florida:
Orlando at Winterpark; Sarasota at Hollywood; Tampa at
Channelside;
Jacksonville at Pablo
Georgia:
Atlanta at Parkside
Indiana:
Indianapolis at Castleton
Maryland:
Baltimore at Charles
New Mexico:
Albuquerque at Downtown; Santa Fe at Devargas
New York:
Buffalo at Market Arcade; Millerton at Movies
North Carolina:
Cary at Madstone
Ohio:
Columbus at Drexel
Texas:
Austin at Arbor; Fort Worth at Hulen; San Antonio at Fiesta
Utah:
Salt Lake City at Madstone Trolley
Vermont:
Burlington at Roxy
Virginia:
Richmond at Westhampton
Canada:
Edmonton at Garneau
# # #
=====================
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Last Updated on
04/25/04
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