The United States of Leland

March 30, 2004

Has anyone heard about a new movie entitled " The United States of

Leland " . I haven't heard a thing until now, but according to the

caption of an AP news photo it states:

" The film is the story of a sensitive teenager, who is faced with

difficult issues after he is arrested and sent to juvenile hall, for

killing an autistic child out of sympathy. "

I viewed a trailer located at:

http://www.moovees.com/trailers/united-states-of-leland.html

The trailer basically repeated " It's OK, we all make mistakes " over

and over again. I figure this is just a subtle attempt to somehow

condition society. I'd like to know who backed this picture.

I've always been aware of the " Fonzi Factor " that Hollywood has over

the minds of gullible viewers.

March 31, 2004

As the author of the petition against this movie (see:

http://www.gopetition.com/info.php?petid=1390), which I started back

in August of 2002, I was recently interviewed by the L.A. Times for

an article about the upcoming release of the movie this weekend(they

were also planning to interview Gosling (Leland) and

Hoge (the director) for the piece) I basically told them about the

inherent dangers of the potential for misunderstanding,

discrimination, and violence against children and adults with autism

as a result of the movie. How the featuring of up-and-coming

actors/actresses (like Gosling, , Klein, Jena

Malone) will have a younger crowd attending this movie...and in some

instances a very IMPRESSIONABLE crowd......I also told them alittle

about my and everything we have been through....treatments,

etc...all the while dealing with discrimination, misunderstanding,

and cruelty in the process....... I told them how I believe this is

the standard " you can change your life for the better " clique movies

at the expense of the autistic child. How I believe that Hoge picked

autism intentionally because it is an disability that is on the rise

but unless it affects someone you know or love personally, that is

really isn't as well known as if it were a child with cancer,

blindness, etc.....A disturbing line in the movie is when the

autistic boys mother, after she learns of her son's murder, makes the

comment that there was " nothing there " . The idea that any parent of

any child with a developmental disability can ever think like that is

reprehensible and is obviously an attempt by the director to gain

sympathy for the killer (it is in my opinion attempting to justify

the " mercy killing " )....I added alot more as I was talking and

talking and talking for over a half hour to the

reporter....LOL....Lets see how much, if any, of my comments appear

in the L.A. Times......

take care,

Ellen Sweeney

Director,

NJ Chapter of The Autism Autoimmunity Project

http://www.autismautoimmunityproject.org

" Know the Cause, Fund the Cure "

Vaccine Liberation

http://www.vaclib.org

" Educate Before You Vaccinate "

ps. When I was in the gym this morning, I saw a trailer on FOX

about the movie......I thought it was pretty ironic that the

production companies have self-proclaimed it the " Most controversial

movie at Sundance last year " yet the director states he didn't want

the movie to be controversial in his original letter to the petition

message board......

> Go to the following website to view trailer and info on the movie:\

>

> http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/u/unitedstatesofleland.php

> (copy and paste it)

> Jane

March 31, 2004

I couldn't have said it better myself.

April 4, 2004

In a message dated 4/4/2004 7:00:47 AM Eastern Standard Time,

autismjtm@... writes:

Couldn't agree more. I will be at the movie theater on friday when the movie

starts, with posters and flyers. I have already contacted the movie theater

and two film critics from our newspaper.

Jane

so did you see the movie... I really would like to hear more about the movie

from someone that has actually seen it.

Please anyone that saw this movie, e-mail me privately.

msdai54513!@...

April 5, 2004

In a message dated 4/4/2004 11:56:32 PM Eastern Standard Time,

autismjtm@... writes:

I haven't seen the film and I don't think I will. A lot of people say that we

should at least see what we are protesting, but personally I don't think I

can stomach it because I would sit there and put my son in the autistic child's

place. I will not be hateful or disrespectful of anyone who saw the film and

liked it - not everyone understands what the big deal is. However I reserve the

right to inform them about autism and that autistic INDIVIDUALS are not

objects that can be disposed off.

*********I have not seen the film either, it is not playing here on Long

Island, and I think just one location in the city,

I would like to know more about the film before making judgments. From what

others are saying the thought that someone killed an autistic child, to put

him out of his misery, if that's what the movie's message, then we all should

have a say in this. Just think if this was a gay person that was killed, think

about the gay activists, or a black person, think about the civil liberties

groups, they would be all over the producers, or even think about a down

syndrome person, I think they would hear from that group as well.

I know there is freedom of speech, but lets go forward in time, not backward.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a lesson learned from this movie.

Now someone else said that they heard... not seeing the movie either.. that

the person does kill the autistic boy, but they a therapist has him see how it

affected the family, and how it was wrong to do what he did. If that is the

case, then I don't think that it is so bad.

Years ago,there were movies about various types of people and it seems that

nowadays we don't see movies about " certain types " of people.

I just get mad, because of all people our autistic kids/adults can't defend

themselves, and we as the caregivers must be their advocates.

So if anyone has seen the movie, please let your comments be heard!

April 5, 2004

The problem I see with the word retarded is that it's misunderstood.

All the word means is that someone failed to score above a given

point on an IQ test. However, society uses this term to describe

anyone who seems " dumb " . I know several people who are technically

retarded, yet no one would ever know because they are fully

functional people. Someone with dyslexia might fail an IQ test yet

be very bright and intelligent. An autistic person and a retarded

person are two very *different* terms, although their issues might

overlap. Because a person has autism does not mean they are

retarded, any more than a retarded person means they have autism. In

many cases, " developmentally delayed " is much more appropriate

description of the person. My daughter is not retarded, but she is

developmentally delayed.

I'm not Vicki, but I don't see how not liking a word being used

inappropriately is the same as being against free speech. One can

also be against a movie's plot and against material gains from a

plot without being against one's right to make a movie. The right to

free speech goes as equally for a movie as it does for one's right

to protest and solicit one's feelings to others.

I would also suggest that one being against a given

educational/mental capacity term does not mean one would support

derrogatory terms that you mentioned. Terms and the way they are

used are also *very* relative. For example, I am a devout Christian

who found the Church Lady skits to be absolutely hilarious. However,

my FIL was offended by the skit. The meaning, it seems to me, of any

given issue is not the word itself, but the feeling and the heart

behind the word.

Debi

> Two comments, 1) Why does the word " retarded " bother you? It's

better than

> " Developmentally Delayed " , which makes it sound like autism is

just a little

> thing, which at our house it is not. And 2) Last year in Orange

County,

> CA, a man with a terminal illness killed his adult son who had

autism

> because he knew what would become of the son when he was no longer

there to

> take care of him. This is a real issue that real people are

dealing with.

> People have varying degrees of resilience in fighting the fight

for our

> kids, not everyone has the personal strength to do it. Last year

on the ME

> List a woman wrote that she felt like setting herself on fire in

the middle

> of Boston because no one would listen to her and help her with the

> difficulties she was having with her autistic child.

>

> All human beings deserve to be treated with respect and dignity,

simply

> because they are human beings. When a movie portrays a fat person

in an

> insulting manner do you protest? When SNL does a skit on the

Church Lady,

> do you think it's okay? When people use the word nigger or bitch

or bastard

> do you object? Or do you just object when it's your family that's

being

> portrayed in an unflattering light? Either there is freedom of

speech or

> there isn't. Either everyone gets respect or NO ONE DOES. United

we stand,

> which I think is probably the point of the movie.

>

> Valeri, mom to:

> Jenna (2/98, ASD)

> (2/99)

> LeeLee (2/01)

April 5, 2004

I totally agree with you. The reason for my protest is this:

Apparently there is a scene in the movie where the mother of the slain autistic

boy says " there was nothing there " , meaning that her son was just an empty

shell. I am worried about people misunderstanding this and thinking that all

autistic individuals have no feelings or emotions. The general public has shown

time and time again that they jump to the wrong conclusions at the drop of a

hat. I will be passing out general, credible information about autism. My son

will also be with me so that people can see that autism is so much more than

what is wrongfully being portrayed by that one little sentence in the movie. My

understanding is that the killing of the autistic boy is not even the main theme

of the movie, but rather it is used to set the scene for what Leland, his family

and the community goes through at the consequences of his act. Which is another

reason why I got upset about the movie. I guess they felt that autistic kids are

" disposable " so they could use them rather than a

typical child. Leland supposedly kills this boy out of sadness - they could

have addressed so many other issues than autism if they wanted him to commit

this crime out of sadness. Child abuse, neglect or plain old dysfunctional

family life is something that typical children have to deal with on a regular

basis and it most certainly causes me to feel soooo much sadness when I think of

what these children have to go through.

Another thing that really worries me is the effect the movie will have on

parents of typical children. I am afraid that they will encourage bullying " Go

pick on the autistic kid - he can't feel it anyway " . Trust me, there are people

who would do it.

I am still following the movie critics and the movie will open on friday at 1

single movie theater in our area.

Jane

Msdai54513@... wrote: