When smart, quiet suburban student Leland Fitzgerald (Ryan Gosling) commits a shocking crime, he becomes the center of a maelstrom of people trying to understand what he did and why, from his famous but absent father (Kevin Spacey), to his troubled ex-girlfriend (Jena Malone) to the victim’s devastated family. The only person Leland trusts is Pearl (Don Cheadle), a jaded juvenile hall teacher and aspiring writer who helps Leland to examine the truth of his crime. Yet, Pearl too, has his own exploitative agenda, using Leland to garner material for a book and further his own career until he begins to see that Leland is giving him something he never expected; not the concrete answer he seeks, or the literary fame he hopes for, but the realization that now is the time to change his own life for the better. 

Director Matthew Ryan Hoge invited Seattle-based musician Jeremy Enigk, best known for his work with the band Sunny Day Real Estate, to compose the score for the film.  Hoge had been listening to Enigk’s solo work while writing the screenplay and the haunting sounds had stuck with him. Enigk had never composed for film before, and Hoge spent many months tracking him down and convincing him he was the perfect person to write the score. By this point, the filmmakers were on a serious deadline.  Enigk worked furiously, turning out some thirty different pieces of music in a two-week period.  The film also includes songs from such bands as the 'The Pixies' and the San Francisco-based power-pop rockers 'Imperial Teen'. 

In order to help Enigk with the producing portion of the project, BC Smith, an accomplished composer and producer, also joined the team.  Hoge summarizes: 'One of my happiest memories from making The United States of Leland was watching these two artists work together to create a deeply moving and original score that contains all the complexity, beauty, underlying emotion and reach of Leland’s world.

Here is the link for an exclusive audio stream from ex-'Sunny Day Real Estate' and current 'The Fire Theft' front man Jeremy Enigk. It is from the soundtrack of 'The United States Of Leland' which opened Friday April 2nd. The stream is exclusive because there is no soundtrack available anywhere, nor are there plans to release it. 

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