The United States of Leland

Soft-spoken 16-year old Leland Fitzgerald (Gosling) commits a seemingly senseless murder that shocks his community, affecting both his victim’s family and his own. Arrested and imprisoned in a juvenile detention facility, Leland comes in contact with an aspiring writer and prison teacher, Pearl Madison (Cheadle). As Pearl delves into the mystery of Leland's crime, he also sees the chance for a career-making book as the boy's estranged father is the world-renowned author, Albert Fitzgerald (Spacey).