The United States of Leland

A 16-year-old boy, Leland (Ryan Gosling), commits a murder, yet seems to have a normal sense of ethics and justice. He confesses his wrongdoing to his mother who turns him in to the police. What follows is a series of close-up character studies on all of the people impacted by Leland's actions. His mother (Lena Olin) is plagued with guilt, his father (Kevin Spacey)--a novelist who writes about violence in America--is complacent. Meanwhile, the family of Leland's victim is ripped apart at the seams, and his already troubled girlfriend (Jena Malone) drifts even farther astray.