The Tribunal Of David Leach is a 2009 American Drama film written and directed by Woody Allen starring Al Pacino, Kelly Lynch, Skylar Astin, Allison Janney, Robert Knepper, Jane Lynch, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, Richard Jenkins, Tyler Hoechlin, Bella Heathcote, Hunter Parrish, Michael B. Jordan, Brandon T. Jackson, Karen Gillan and Danielle Panabaker. The film was screened in advance to critics and select audiences at the Los Angeles Film Festival on March 23rd, 2009 and then released theatrically on March 28th, 2009 to commercial and critical acclaim.
The film was awarded with five Golden Globe nominations: Best Picture, Best Leading Actor: Skylar Astin, Best Actress: Kelly Lynch, Best Supporting Actor: Al Pacino and Best Supporting Actress: Danielle Panabaker.
The film won two BAFTA awards for Best Actress: Kelly Lynch and Best Screenplay.
The film was nominated for the Palm D'Or for Truly Moving Picture and won the MTV Awards for Best Teen Ensemble Cast, Best Actor: Astin and Actress: Panabaker.
The film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc on June 20th, 2009.
Plot
The film begins with three college boys beating another boy around in a circle until he is rendered to the ground and a girl comes running over her screaming mute.
We then hear the narration of David Leach (Skylar Astin) the boy just seen being punched down to the ground who reveals that seconds after the girl reached the slab he fell down upon, he had died on impact of the solid ground.
He then names the girl as Kristen Dune (Danielle Panabaker) and his killer as Wortington University drop out Carmine Solomon (Aaron Paul) older brother of a one Omega Pheta Zi fraternity brother Dean Solomon (Channing Tatum), Worthington freshman Cynthia Hershell-Solomon (Sarah Gadon) and son of a one Frank Solomon (Robert Kneppler).
We then trail back through the story of David as he tells it, he was a Worthington senior and open homosexual part of the campus' outcast group and living with his bestfriends Derek Landmyer (Tyler Hoechlin), Kristen Dune and Derek's younger sister Amanda at Kristen's mom's house.
Kristen's mother Helena (Catherine Keener) is a lesbian who is in a relationship with advertising consultant Ross Hampton (Jane Lynch) who lives with them also.
They spend most of their nights at the college's outcast bar the Last Stop with their other ostracized friends: Former College Varsity Jock Pyromaniac Robert Boxon (Hunter Parrish), twin practical joker mathmaticians Adam (Michael B. Jordan) and Julius Stannweld (Brandon T. Jackson) and the school's labelled prude Jennifer Davis (Karen Gillan).
David comes to enter into a secret relationship with popular College Varsity Jock Dean Solomon the son of the school's Coach Frank Solomon.
David ushers Dean to just come out about their relationship as he doesn't want to hide but Dean wishing not to lose his respectful status and the respect of his dad declines David's wishes.
David then instead announces his relationship with Dean himself which Dean mocks and states is not true.
David is humiliated and Dean's Varsity buddies and fellow fraternity brothers of Omega Pheta Zi Trick Horowitz (Jake Abel) and Jay Buckingham (Darren Criss) corner David and beat him senseless before black markering his forehead with "FAG."
He is then disposed of on the football field and from that point is discovered by Kristen, Rob, Julius and Adam.
David and the others report the incident to the Dean but he refutes it as a harmless prank and is revealed as a fascist homophobic.
David then in anger and frustration signs up for the annual Worthington College Varsity Games where he must participate in all the major festivities.
He goes and ultimatley wins most of the games humiliating his ex Dean and the other Varsity Jocks.
He is applauded by the other students, teachers and his friends.
That night the Dune house is vandalised with discriminating words made against both David and Kristen as she is the daughter of a lesbian mother and was a former sex addict, alcoholic.
Helena and Ross report the incident to the authorities and the names of Dean, Jay and Trick are given as the vandals.
The following day at school David discovers tragically he has been evicted from the annual Varsity festitivities and henceforth Dean Solomon is the leading contestant.
David's mother Sam (Kelly Lynch) then becomes involved along with Ross Hampton and Helena Dune launching a full fledged complaint against the school's administration.
It is revealed a poll of faculty evicted David under the pretences of the complaints of the Varsity Jocks' homophobic parents as David is an open homosexual.
A strike is then done by David and friends plus others supportful to his cause.
David after the strike is called off takes time off with his mother who takes him out to New Jersey to visit his Aunt Naomi and Uncle Tom.
Dean meanwhile back at Worthington has his drop out brother Carmine approach him and tell him to belt David so as to deliver him the message of stop trying to make out his brother is some loser queer.
Dean then follows David to New Jersey but instead tries to make amends and rekindle their relationship.
Dean drunk at the time of approaching David outside his house forces himself on David and is knocked off hitting his head against the brick wall.
David attempts to help him but Dean yells at him to stay away and punches him in the gut and then the face before jumping into his car.
David then returns inside and still in partial shock tells his mother, aunt and uncle he's going to sleep.
Dean returns to Worthington and meets up with his father and brother at his father's house.
His sister is in the kitchen and eavesdrops on the conversation between the three in which Carmine announces he'll have the queer's head after which he storms out of the house.
At the Last Stop Kristen and the others discuss the strike and everything that's been going on.
Kristen then decides to surprise David and meet up with him in New Jersey and take him out to this old hill overlooking a drive in theatre they like.
Kristen heads down and wakes David up in his bedroom sneaking him out to the hilltop overlooking the large drive-in theatre of 78th and Grandville.
They lie down on a blanket and discuss David's situation, Dean, The Varsity Activities Competition and Kristen confesses she's in love with David.
They later get drunk at a gay bar Kristen knows of as her mother had met Ross there.
David hooks up with a guy who steps out to him and Kristen has two twins surround her.
David gets the guys number and they schedule to meet tomorrow and spend the day with Kristen.
Kristen then escorts David out but as she reaches the entrance one of the twins from earlier bombards her with a kiss.
Kristen and David then begin to walk home and Kristen passes out and is subsequently carried back to David's aunt and uncle's house.
There he puts her into his bed and sits beside her watching her sleep.
She eventually wakes and talks and David cries about everything and then asks will things ever be normal for him.
She embraces him in a hug.
The following day is spent with the guy Rick who David met at the bar and the two enter a relationship.
Kristen who had also spent the day going along with the two accompanies them to the sunday night family dinner at David's aunt and uncle with his mom.
Sam then drives David and Kristen back to Worthington the following day and David is surprised before the bell rings as Rick has driven up to meet him.
The two engage in a passionate kiss overseen by Dean which enrages him.
He calls his brother and says he wants to go ahead with the plan he brought up with him and dad.
He tells his brother that they do the plan tonight.
The two come to later that day as Rick pulls down an alley for parking beat him unconsious and steal his cell phone.
They then message David stating he will be waiting for him at Campus at 9:00 p.m.
David tells his mom who at her contemporary Worthington apartment he's meeting Rick tonight and then calls Kristen telling her the same thing except mentioning it will be at campus at 9.
A chain message goes around to all the group as he wants them all to meet Rick as only Kristen has officially met him out of his group of friends.
He arrives on campus and is surprised by Dean, Carmine, Jay and Trick.
They each take turns hitting him and Carmine pulls a knife.
Carmine then violently punches at David and Dean then comes to senses and tells him stop as Trick and Jay watch in shock.
Carmine is punched once by a bloody, disorientated beaten David before being power punched down to the ground by Carmine before the eyes of an arriving Kristen.
The others then come and Jennifer calls her campus security father Michael (Richard Jenkins) and Rob Boxon approaches Carmine and punches him down to the ground bringing his lighter close up to his face.
Campus Security Michael and Rob's father Jeff (Bradley Whitford) intervene and arrest Rob and Carmine.
Sam is then informed of her sons' death and breaks down smashing everything up in her apartment.
After she calls Aunt Naomi and Uncle Tom and relays the news she attempts suicide by drinking herself to death as she had done once before when David's father, her former husband Lance died when shot in a Hit and Run.
She is however found and saved by Kristen and the others call in the paramedics.
They are all asked to then come down to the station to be interviewed about what they saw.
The turns go one by one and Carmine is brought out by Michael and Jeff right in front of Sam who jumps forth at him yelling and threatening to kill him.
Kristen pries her away and after he makes a comment about David Kristen turns around and strikes Carmine.
We are then taken through the narrative story side of Kristen and everything leading up to David's death and the court case following in which afterwards she comes to fall in love with Derek and tells of the fates of the friends.
Then Sam's story of her raising David up to the court case is gone through as narrates her side of the story and the concluding story is the Dean Roderick Martin and how he ultimatley ensures Carmine Solomon serves time for the killing of David Leach and his turning on his friendship with Frank Solomon, and acceptance of homosexuality.
The film concludes with the Dean resigning, Ross and Helena seated watching the television report about Carmine's incarceration, Dean grieving David's death in his room where he is approached by Cynthia, Sam heading back to New Jersey with the Dean towed along with Rick and Kristen and the others going from the Last Stop to following along the Dean and Sam to New Jersey where they rally aboard David and Kristen's hilltop.
Cast
- Al Pacino as Dean Roderick Martin
- Kelly Lynch as Samantha Leach
- Skylar Astin as David Leach
- Allison Janey as Mrs. Jude Armada
- Robert Knepper as Frank Solomon
- Jane Lynch as Ross Hampton
- Catherine Keener as Helena Dune
- Bradley Whitford as Campus Security Jeff Boxon
- Richard Jenkins as Campus Security Michael Davis
- Tyler Hoechlin as Derek Landmyer
- Bella Heathcote as Amanda Landmyer
- Hunter Parrish as Robert Boxon
- Michael B. Jordan as Adam Stannweld
- Brandon T. Jackson as Julius Stannweld
- Karen Gillan as Jennifer Davis
- Danielle Panabaker as Kristen Dune
- Channing Tatum as Dean Solomon
- Candice Accola as Jessica Harper
- Jake Abel as Trick Horowitz
- Darren Criss as Jay Buckingham
- Sarah Gadon as Cynthia Hershelll-Solomon
- Michael Welch as Rick Sambrine
Soundtrack
- Put Your Records On- Corinne Bailey Rae
- I Begin To Wonder- Dannii Minogue
- How To Save A Life- The Fray
- The Way I Are- Timbaland feat Keri Hilson
- It's Not Over- Daughtry
- Glamorous- Fergie feat Ludacris
- Cherry Lips- Garbage