Directed by:
Tony KayeScreenplay:
Carl LundCinematography:
Tony KayeComposer:
The Newton BrothersCast:
Adrien Brody, Marcia Gay Harden, James Caan, Christina Hendricks, Lucy Liu, Blythe Danner, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Zorich, William Petersen, Bryan Cranston (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
In Director Tony Kaye's Detachment, Adrien Brody stars as Henry Barthes, an educator with a true talent to connect with his students. Yet Henry has chosen to bury his gift. By spending his days as a substitute teacher, he conveniently avoids any emotional connections by never staying anywhere long enough to form an attachment to either students or colleagues. When a new assignment places him at a public school where a frustrated, burned-out administration has created an apathetic student body, Henry soon becomes a role model to the disaffected youth. In finding an unlikely emotional connection to the students, teachers, and a runaway teen he takes in from the streets, Henry realizes that he's not alone in his life and death struggle to find beauty in a seemingly vicious and loveless world. (G2 Pictures)
(more)Reviews (4)
He, he! This should be shown in the first year of Teachers Uni so everyone can quickly and timely think whether they want to follow the profession. Kids are bastards and their parents are even worse (I know the stories, a teacher’s family :-D). Even though the film has good performances and a message, Adrien Brody as the protagonist didn’t win my heart.
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One of the strangest movies I’ve seen in a while. I really wasn’t expecting such an artistic experience. Because the director had quite a depressing and often incredibly abstract take on everything. Anyway, the great thing about this movie is that the moment you no longer know where to go with all that depression, salvation suddenly appears; but only for a worse depression to follow. Adrien Brody gives a great performance. But if I were him, I’d shoot my brains out right away. But Detachment was definitely worth watching, even though I could do without the school. However, it has once again confirmed that the entire problem stemmed from communication. Communication is a bitch.
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When Henry starts to sadly look out of the bus and without any emotion listens to a bunch of vulgarities from the boldest student, I tend to believe that I am watching some paradoxical version of Dangerous Thoughts or the absolute art of their various clones. But where diligent teachers finally get under the stubborn students' skin and celebrate a final success, Detachment is just beginning. And it continues in a world of broken people, where we don't have to go far for a sad emotional catharsis. The most commendable fact about Kaye's piece is that it doesn't take the depressive premise and just slides straight into a tragic conclusion. Some lines will pass through the depths of the soul, while others will hide symbolic hope within them. Thanks to this balance (and thanks to several intentionally unanswered plot questions), certain gloomy topics will stay in your mind for a good few days.
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Harsh, volatile (excellent cinematography and work with the grainy image) and sometimes slightly surreal, but very personal and impressive in terms of its value as a probe into the Western school system with its positives (minimally) and negatives (primarily). The character of Adrien Brody is just the icing on the cake and an imaginary weight on the scales, which one day go more towards one side, and the next day the opposite. Narratively delivered, cinematically economical, backed by a terrific cast and sumptuous personal scenes. Tony Kaye hasn't made much, but he still has a decent grip and knows what he wants to tell the audience, especially when it comes to controversial topics.
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