Detachment (2011) User Reviews

You are in for a world of hurt

[dschmeding · 9/10 · 26 February 2012]

Wow! I was not expecting this movie to be this engaging. Its one of those films that leave you sitting in silence for a while when the credits roll much like excellent Dramas like "Requiem for a dream" or "Downloading Nancy".

This one spells it out pretty clear with the line "Henry Barthes is all of us"... its hard to grasp how the realization that we are indeed all the same can be so painful.

On the surface "Detachment" deals with the crumbling American education system through the eyes of substitute teacher Henry Barthes (played by Adrian Brody) who starts a new assignment in a new school with new teachers, in a new class with new pupils like he is obviously used to.

The beginning shows him trying to get into this new class around the bullies threatening him and other pupils, making it hard to teach anything. At first it looks like all those "good teacher turns around a bad class" movies but its not. You soon realize that the school is just the backdrop for a larger story about a teacher who tries to do his job by taking a role outside the play. Barthes makes clear that he is hollow and words can't hurt him which is his way of coping with a hopeless situation by neglecting his private life and detaching from the world. Like him every teacher seems to have developed his individual coping mechanism. For some its cynicism and dark humor, "happy pills" are regularly mentioned too and for others its just swallowing their emotions until they erupt. You see the teachers coping with their daily routine while hearing an answering machine in the background every now and then with other teachers resigning or parents shouting for better grades for their kids.

Its pretty tough stuff seeing kids void of hope, interest or enthusiasm and teachers trying to get to the few who are still to be reached in the classroom. But its here where it all falls apart because of hollow politics, parents that do not care or are just as dysfunctional as the kids they raised and dropped into the public education system and idiotic social rules and conventions we are all used to. When you see the pattern in all the peoples private lives and their desperate tries of holding on its obvious that "Detachment" is not just about the public school system but about our whole society, about each and every one of us.

When Barthes meets a young street hooker he decides to take her in with him and do his job outside school. Its quite heartbreaking to see him trying to make a change against all odds. At times Barthes comes across like a modern day Jesus when he sleeps on the floor of his small apartment and lets the girl sleep in bed. Some might say that "Detachment" is too light on the teachers because most of the blame falls onto parents and politicians. There is hardly an unsympathetic teacher in this movie. Yet there are scenes that show Barthes is no Jesus at all... like when he violently shouts at a nurse in a retirement home after an incident with his dying grandfather. Barthes is indeed like all of us, cracking when he struggles to cope and lashing out to get out the pressure, just like the parents at school push their pressure to the teachers.

And this is where the detachment cracks... amidst all the failures Barthes manages to connect to the girl, as well as to an outcast girl at school. And he connects through emotion and personal attachment but soon has to realize that it does not work. The scenes of him sending away the girl to a foster home when he tells her he cannot be her family or when he has do send away the outcast girl when she tries to share her sorrow with him are gut-wrenching. There are so many honest and deeply emotional scenes in this movie its hard to keep track. His grandfathers death with his total forgiving, Barthes monologues trying to make the pupils understand why they need basic education for their own sake are as brilliant as Lucy Lius Characters breakdown in which she shouts out her desperation and sadness towards a seemingly not caring girl.

The relationship between Barthes and the girl is stunning and constantly rocked by misunderstandings... plain because you don't expect it to be non-sexual with all the pedophile stories, sexual harassment laws and stereotypes. But against all odds it is and you realize that when there are no parents (like in the haunting "parents night" scenes with teachers waiting and no one coming) someone else must fill this void... how empty have we become that we cannot expect someone to help out of honest interest for his fellow man... or rather child?!

"Detachment" is a bleak and painful movie but it has some hope and even some humor (the cynic teachers way of teaching a girl about the dangers of STD with a picture of a rainbow and a picture of a disease ridden vagina is one of those much needed lighter moments).

Its like when Barthes says in one of his many off commentaries... life is an ocean of chaos and the realization that you are the one supposed to throw the buoy while struggling to stay afloat is devastating. But its the honesty about his own struggle that makes him connect with others. Its when they realize we indeed are all the same, all struggling and they are not alone in their strife that gives them their humanity. But thats what life is... so what can you do but be honest and hope for the best.... Its all going to be OK!

Touching, an inspiration to change.

[Emmytjuh_klein · 9/10 · 6 March 2012]

A story about a teacher who wants to make a difference. Very touching story with some twisted story lines about real life. It makes you see how hard life can be for a lot of adolescents. Of course, the people in this movie project some of the saddest life stories and not everybody has it this hard, but I think a lot of people can recognize some of the life problems of this movie.

Adrien Brody projects the right emotions at the right time in the movie. Sadness, happiness, joy and trauma, every feeling has its place in this movie. The use of real students and an existing school in combination with great filming gives the viewer the feeling its all real. A quality that makes a movie great.

The movie inspired me. I'm a elementary school teacher and I see a lot of kids, sometimes heading in the wrong direction. It gave me a feeling of hope and drive to help these children, even if it seems hopeless.

Please, go and see this wonderful movie!

Windswept and desolate school hallways

[iblogamerica · 8/10 · 26 April 2011]

The truth about high school is that it's worse than you remember it.

Watching Tony Kaye's enthralling "Detachment," you can't help compare your high school to the one on screen. You remember the terrible teachers you had, the sterile hallways, the asinine classmates, and the absurd assignments. You can remember the "weight that presses on everyone" as Mr. Henry Barthes, played by Adrien Brody, tells his class.

"If you can just hang on, everything will be alright." Mr. Barthes is that hero teacher that we love tell stories about. He's the Christ, the Buddha. He's meant to save us from ourselves.

The problem? Mr. Barthes is a great teacher because he has no life outside of teaching. Like Socrates, Christ, Buddha, Gandhi, and countless other mythologized teachers, Barthes is a detached island to himself, without spouse, children, or personal life. He's a lonely dude.

As a public school teacher sitting in the audience at the world premiere last night in Tribeca, I have mixed feelings about telling you that Tony Kaye has masterfully succeeded in capturing public school in a macabre and beautiful chalkboard sketch. His lush, mannerist portrait brings a gorgeous but searing light to the lonely reality of the teaching profession. Mr. Kaye's "Detachment" presents school the way so many of us on the inside see it: a windswept wasteland scourged of its humanity by a culture that burdens its underfunded and unfairly censured teachers with rearing, policing, and institutionalizing our children.

I hate to say it: public school really is this bad. The few great teachers that our system manages to attract are barely hanging on from year to year, knocked senseless by a society that demands way too much from them.

Adrien Brody is riveting as a seemingly serene but deeply damaged substitute teacher. His sloping eyebrows, sometimes treacly or overwrought in other performances, here convey an- inch-from-the-cliff hopelessness without ever becoming a mask. Mr. Brody's Henry Barthes is sweetly but searingly honest with his students even as sadly skulks among the halls of his school. Barthes is also furious-- enough to throw desks in his classroom and scream at a late night nurse at his grandfather's assisted care facility. In close-up, documentary-style interviews, Mr. Brody's eyes flash like lightning one moment and then become as dull as concrete the next, daring us to try to understand how one can care so much and so little. His Barthes has a teacher's countenance in this film, acutely aware of how important yet futile his work is. It's a career performance.

Barthes' determination to be disconnected keeps him the perennial substitute-- in the classroom and in his personal life. Barthes tends to his grandfather but has more than enough time to help out two young girls, a young prostitute and an overweight loner. Despite his earnest efforts, almost none of it works out well. The complicating plot lines, all involving family surrogacy around Barthes, serve the notion that teachers must be dispassionate and alone in order to perform their jobs. The story survives its few yet regrettable school clichés by sticking to this thesis.

Despite the fact that the number of big names threatens to make the movie look like a cameo-fest (Lucy Liu? Christina Hendricks? Marcia Gay Harden? Blythe Danner? James Caan? Really?), the ensemble gels together surprisingly well. After all, weren't your teachers an impossible cast of characters? Every character seems just barely above water as each trudges to the blunt beat of the school bells ringing. The performances are just fine, largely, but two are particularly successful. While Mr. Caan's grinning jester provides a refreshingly necessary gallows' humor in some of the film's darkest moments, it's Ms. Liu's imploding truth-teller that lends undeniable heft to the story. As a guidance counselor faced with yet another unreachable know-it-all teen, Ms. Liu's character finally breaks down, berating the student with a bleak prophecy of the child's future. "You will NOT be a model! You will forever be on a carousel, competing with 80% of the country for a minimum wage job for the rest of your life!" the guidance counselor screams uselessly at the apathetic teen.

It's grim stuff, made more grave by the undeniable ring of truth.

The ancient Greeks tell us "we suffer our way to wisdom." By the end of the film, you'll hope that is true for most of these characters. Somewhere on screen, between a silent hug and the opening lines to Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher," you will find a glimmer of hope. But you have to work for it.

School, as the film has drawn it, is a Munch-esque desert of detachment where the best anyone (teachers and students) can do is survive. But the fact that Barthes, and teachers like him, won't give up-- and the fact that Mr. Kaye made this movie-- tells us that hope is alive, if not well.

The hope rests almost entirely in our lonely, detached teachers.

Best Movie of 2011

[feguiza · 10/10 · 27 November 2011]

Saw this at a local film festival with little to no information about the movie whatsoever; little did I know this was going to become my favorite film of the year, and that's saying a lot given that 2011 has been a blast for moviegoers with new products by Woody Allen, Terrence Malick, Lars Von Trier and Clint Eastwood.

The movie revolves around an poignant substitute teacher (perfectly played by Adrien Brody) who arrives at a vicious school, where students go around bullying people (including the teachers) and basically throwing their lives directly to the dumpster…you know, teenage angst and such…I didn't grow up in the USA, so two important things I must say, a) I don't know if this is an accurate depiction of any given school in America and b) I can't relate with the overall chronicle, which brings me to my next point.

The beauty of this movie comes within the subtext, whether you can directly relate with the characters or not, the movie takes the message and widens its range so everyone is able to understand the actual meaning of the film. Let's clear things out, this film is not about a school or the basis of education, this is about trying our best not to give a damn about others as most of us just go around doing everything in our power to be happy ourselves with a lousy job, a loveless marriage, a constant sense of abandonment or basically a crappy life (all of the above portrayed marvelously in the film).

Films by Tony Kaye tend to be really visceral with a thin slice of optimism in the undertones, I think this time he just went mental about everything, in the end you'll leave the theater with a slight sense of hopelessness, almost as if you're destined to watch daily misery without the power to control anything but your own life, as if the only battle you must fight is the constant reminder that even when everything falls apart and slowly turns into dust, you can't change the world, you just have to avoid the world from changing you…This exposed stunningly in the final sequence of the movie.

Do yourself a favor, watch this film!

A Glimpse into the Reality of Life

[joshh83-283-171837 · 10/10 · 6 March 2012]

So many people are broken and hurt. Many fear of getting too close in order to keep from getting hurt once more....

This movie is fantastic look into the brokenness of people in society, along with our need as humans for affirmation and too belong. It not only has an artistic side, but this movie is so real in many ways, which everyone (or at least most) can relate too.

I highly enjoy this film and is yet another brilliant role played by Adrian Brody, quite possibly his best role and story since "The Pianist." The supporting cast was also great.

My opinion on this film may be biased, solely on the fact that I only enjoy films that touch the heart and soul (or at least makes me think/feel) and this is one film that made me want to go out and change the world for the better.

This film is well worth while to watch from beginning to end. The Academy needs to look into nominated Adrian Brody for an Oscar with this performance. One of the few movies that I would watch over again with a friend and well worth your while.

I can see why it won so many awards at Film Festivals.

Depressive View of a Sick and Dysfunctional Society

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 25 December 2013]

Henry Barthes (Adryen Brody) is a high-school substitute teacher emotionally detached from everyone but his grandfather. When he was a seven year-old boy, he saw his mother committing and he is a traumatized and sad man. Henry is assigned to work for one-month in a decadent public school and along this period, he meets the teenage prostitute Erica (Sami Gayle) on the streets and he brings her to his apartment to take care of her. In his class, he feels affection for the troubled student Meredith (Betty Kaye) and tries to help her. These adolescents change his emotions toward people.

"Detachment" is a depressive view of the sick and dysfunctional modern society though the routine of a substitute teacher that makes the difference in the universe of teenagers, parents and other teachers. There are memorable scenes, like the breakdown of the counselor Dr. Doris Parker (Lucy Liu); or Henry explaining to the students the importance of reading to create their own thoughts and beliefs; or Henry saying that parenthood should require curriculum. On the other side, the reaction of Ms. Sarah Madison when Henry is hugging Meredith is impressive and part of a morally corrupted society that only can see vicious in a sympathetic gesture. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Substituto" ("The Substitute")

Desperation and Despondency as a Wakeup Call

[Chris_Pandolfi · 9/10 · 23 March 2012]

I had no idea how ill prepared I was to experience "Detachment." Here is a film that plunges headfirst into the depths of disillusionment, despair, and failure and almost never resurfaces for air. You will experience emotions normally repressed during movie watching. You will be saddened, shocked, and above all, angered. You will see things you wouldn't ever want to see and hear things that should never be heard. You will wade through a sea of bleakness, desperately searching for some small shred of hope to cling on to. At the end of it all, you will be so psychologically drained that, for a time, it may seem as if you will never be happy again. At the same time, you will also get to thinking, and that's exactly why I'm recommending this movie so highly.

A few months ago, I snubbed my nose at the critically acclaimed thriller "The Grey," an equally hopeless and depressing but also nihilistic story about men who must fight against wolves, and themselves, in the snowy Alaskan wilderness. Unlike that film, which reduced its compelling ideas into a cheap and shallow thriller, "Detachment" uses its desperation and despondency to make a point. I don't see it as a movie so much as a wakeup call, a way for audiences to understand not just the world but themselves as well. At its essence, it's an examination of behaviors that are perpetuated by people that have the power to stop it. It might not seem like they have the power. In fact, it might seem like absolutely everything is working against them. There's no question that rising above adversity is a challenge. Nevertheless, it's one that must be faced.

The main setting is an inner city public high school, one that exemplifies with horrifying detail the failure of the No Child Left Behind act of 2001. Most of the students are poorly educated, violent, and foulmouthed. They have no respect for others, but more to the point, they have no respect for themselves. They have, in fact, degenerated into pure apathy. This has rubbed off on the faculty, for they know that all their years of teaching and guidance haven't made the slightest difference. They're constantly berated by furious parents for being so lousy at their jobs. It's almost as if they have relinquished themselves of the responsibility of actually raising their own children. Is your son or daughter a problem? Don't take the necessary steps of working towards a solution – simply dump them off at school and let the teachers do the dirty work.

Bearing witness to all of this is a substitute teacher Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody). He struggles to make a difference, all the while knowing that he's failing miserably. He sees nothing but people who have given up, and he's within of inch of giving up on himself. His personal life is a mess; his grandfather (Louis Zorich), in the advances states of some kind of dementia, languishes in a nursing home staffed by people who simply don't care. He has flashbacks of a childhood scarred by the absence of a father, an alcoholic mother, and a deep tragedy. He eventually takes in an underage prostitute named Erica (Sami Gayle). He's saddened by her situation and even helps her in a few important regards, but he doesn't coddle her like a frightened puppy. He wants to get through to her that she has value as a person, that she's so much better than giving oral sex to men on the bus. He's also tortured by the fact that their arrangement can't last forever.

Several distinguished actors make appearances in this film, mostly as faculty members. These would include Marcia Gay Harden, Tim Blake Nelson, James Caan, Lucy Liu, Blythe Danner, Christina Hendricks, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., Bryan Cranston, and William Petersen. All are in various stages of professional and personal breakdown; Nelson plays a teacher who isn't noticed by anyone, Caan plays an administrator who can only get through the day on medication and biting wit, and Harden plays a woman who knows that the end is near. In one of the best scenes, Liu lashes out at a student for her disrespect and indifference at her own future. She gets nothing but kids like this day in and day out. What is the point of pointing out their academic shortcomings when they obviously won't take the steps to better themselves?

Of all the actors that appeared in the film, the most compelling is Betty Kaye as a student named Meredith, who observes the school through the lens of her camera. She creates dark collages with her photos. Her creativity is labeled by her unseen but clearly heard father as unnecessary teen angst. Believing only beautiful people are worthy of attention, he cruelly harps on her about her overeating, the way she dresses, and her social isolation. Meredith, an intelligent young woman, makes a connection with Barthes. Unfortunately, her self-esteem is so low that she misinterprets his encouragement as personal affection.

The film intercuts linear scenes with multiple narrative techniques, none more resonant than Barthes' documentary-style confessionals. The final scene begins with him reading the opening sentences from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher," which should already tell you everything you need to know. The message of "Detachment" is simply one of responsibility and caring. If you're a parent, nurture your children and allow them to be themselves. Don't expect a school system to raise them for you – as they say, education begins at home. Before you point out someone else's flaws, first recognize your own. Understand that you're not perfect. Be thoughtful of others. And above all, know that you matter. There is no tragedy deeper than giving up on yourself.

-- Chris Pandolfi (www.atatheaternearyou.net)

A powerful and disturbing (but necessary) film

[gregcarttar · 3 October 2011]

I saw this at Woodstock Film Festival, a few months after it premiered at Tribeca. I had the pleasure of driving Tony to the screening, and decided that I would stay for a few minutes to see the opening few minutes of the film, after seeing just a few seconds of it during the tech rehearsal earlier. After 30 seconds, I was hooked and could not get away. This film needs to be seen, people need to understand the conditions and circumstances presented in it of urban school environments; the trials that teachers and students face everyday, and the ravages wrought by "No Child Left Behind". The role played by Sami Gayle is astonishing, where she found that character is beyond me. I gave it a 9 our of 10 only because there were some scene-break graphics in the film that, while making sense, seemed to me to break the flow of the film. A must see. Tough to watch in places, but necessary.

ubiquitous assimilation!!

[bonzybino · 7/10 · 29 February 2012]

Detachment is a dark movie which everyone can relate with, the solitariness, the cynicism, the despair and the darker shades of our lives which we cover with many other things. It doesn't end on a good note unlike the common genre movies - it could have easily drifted that way to be more appealing. But then who's gonna live happily forever!!

Though the education system and the schools and the students ain't that evil and rotten the way its shown in the movie, it does pose many a question, the dubious system in which everything goes on without a point. The miserable life of teachers were beautifully shown, yes they do go through worse situations. Adrien Brody does something meaty after pianist as the cool, composed and ailing substitute teacher. The climax was so dramatic and metaphorical, the background score adds value to the visual richness.

The screenplay is too dark at times, the lighter moments and the virtuous elements highly underplayed though it saves the movie many a time from drowning. I loved the way the narration takes us through, we feel the pain the characters are going through. Wish had it been lighter in content with some thing which kindled a ray of virtue somewhere, Alas! but that's the way it is..

An Amazing Movie

[jbw224 · 10/10 · 29 February 2012]

I was having a slow day at work and was able to download this film which i did mainly because I think Adrien Brody is a phenomenal actor. I sat and watched this movie and was amazed at how much I enjoyed it. The acting by the adult stars was so crisp that they each did their characters well, from Adrien Brody, Christina Hendricks, James Caan (who played the part to a tee of many teachers out there today...)and all the rest. The kids led by Sammi Gayle (who should get more story lines on Blue Bloods) and Betty Kaye with that very small but well written part for Rene Felice Smith brought this story to the top for me. The story was outstanding and really put things about our lives and even our education system in focus. This film deserves your attention and I think any awards it has received have been well deserved. I am adding this film to one of the top films I have seen in the last few years...Kudos to Mr. Brody......

A difficult watch

[davidjacomb · 7/10 · 12 July 2022]

Cuts straight to the bone this film. Not by any means a pink fluffy bunny rabbit type a film. More like the rabbits just been run over by a drugged out alcoholic waste off a person... if this is real life in teaching (which undoubtedly it is) my god the worlds doomed, it really is.... blame the parents... blame the government... blame the soft arsed society we have become..

Wow wonderful film

[bobmichigan1 · 10/10 · 25 February 2012]

Terrence Malick should take a look at this movie to understand how art films are supposed to be made not just images reflecting on a screen but real emotions included. This was an outstanding movie and in my eyes should of got more recognition and probably the Best Picture of 2011. Adrian Brodys deserved a nomination for his performance as a substitute teacher who does not want a full time gig because he does not want to be emotionally attached to his students. He shows real raw emotion in his position.

I just want to say props to the director who did an outstanding job not trying to be too artsy and trying to make all viewers happy instead of one group of viewers. By far the best movie I have seen from 2011.

Painfully realistic... and a-must-see for certain viewer groups

[BeneCumb · 7/10 · 11 February 2013]

With the enhancement of freedoms and democracy, regulations were introduced to protect the so-called weaker strata, minorities etc. Unfortunately, there are several cases where the latter have abused / misused them, making trouble and creating discontent among the others. School is one of those micro-societies where some students go to the limit, but the adults (parents, teachers etc) are those imputed. Detachment gives a realistic overview of those issues, including different types of teachers and their views of life and the arisen situation.

The cast is interesting: apart from Adrien Brody as Henry Barthes (really leading character, there are a few scenes without him), there are several action movie performers (e.g., James Caan, Tim Blake Nelson, Lucy Liu) depicting school personnel with serious issues. In general, all the cast is up to their task, there are no unreal types.

This movie should be watched by teachers, parents, social workers, representatives of various protection organizations... Anyway, it is a strong movie, giving lots of food for thought.

Overrated

[mittens-and-matches · 4/10 · 5 September 2012]

First lets start off with the good:

• Cast: Wow, great cast...Adrian Brody, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Cranston, James Caan, Lucy Liu.

• Acting: I generally like Adrian Brody. He is perfectly cast for this part. Generally there is nothing to complain about regarding any of the acting in the movie. Very well done.

• Dialogue: Good dialogue is important. Especially for a movie like this which is entirely character driven. Adrian gives some nice moving speeches and James Caan has some quite witty humorous lines. Overall, the dialogue is good.

• Vision: The creators of the movie were trying to create a movie that showed the reality of hopelessness in struggling urban school environments. I understand the 'detachment' they are trying to convey and applaud them for trying not to dress it up to much with a Hollywood tale. However, there are some problems with the execution of the vision which leads me to...

The bad:

• Script: If a strong script is important to you: avoid this movie. The story relies on sucking you in to the emotional performances of the characters to create its meaning.

• Poor directing/Tries to hard: Unfortunately, many of the scenes are a little over the top. In its attempt to make us feel we witness scene after scene of extreme behavior. The chance to connect with the subtle emotions of real life drama are lost and we are caught up in a melodrama. The movie tries hard to make you "FEEL" something. Its a little like a sales pitch for sadness. I found myself getting annoyed at certain moments like I was in a live showing of Dave Letterman and the audience 'laugh' sign pops up to tell you what to do only here its this is your cue to "feel this _____ emotion".

Overall, I found myself feeling like Rick Groen of the globe summed this movie up the best saying: "Ultimately, Detachment invites us to feel precisely what it warns against, detached." I enjoy curling up with a tub of ice cream and feeling depressed about life as much as the next person. However, I need my movies to be the whole package if they are going to take me there. Here about halfway through I found myself wanting to skip ahead some scenes because they were boring me. Indeed I felt a little detached.

Want to watch something that deals with similar subject matter yet doesn't overdress it? Watch HBO's series "The Wire" with a 9.5 rating on IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/

A Masterpiece

[Stewball · 10/10 · 19 April 2012]

I saw this originally in a theater and then again on VOD. I loved it right off and rated it a 9, but it was a movie I just couldn't get off my mind. The cast was outstanding, especially Brody, and the one that kept bringing my thoughts back to it, Toni Gayle as Erica in her first feature film performance. As the director Tony Kaye said, hers was the first character he cast because she is the central pin for the story--amazing given a cast loaded with familiar faces and names and incredible talent.

I can't say too much about the story without spoiling it. It does have memorable dialogue, a very interesting story, and humor is not absent but I think is suffers with audiences because the central character, Brody, is a deep person with a lot to offer but is stuck in a sad, shallow outward personality. If I'd had to leave before the end, I might well not have gone back to finish it. Others have watched it thinking it was going to be another "American History X", but they're just two different movies, both with something big to say, this more so even than X in my opinion. My only minuscule nit to pick is I'd rather have had Brody do the head shots as voice over narration. Above all, if I didn't say anything else I'd say this....stick with it.

The only flaw associated with this movie given all is positives is criminally atrocious marketing. It's like displaying Van Gogh's "Starry Night" in the basement of the Museum of Modern Art where only the occasional patron wanders in and happens to lift its covering. To help the reader judge how I weigh film ratings, I've seen between 5-10,000 movies, but this is only my 14th 10/10.

An unnerving yet brilliant account of the education system and its teachers

[leereddy · 9/10 · 4 May 2012]

As classroom dramas go this may well be one the finest I have ever seen. A compelling insight into Americas failing education system and the beleaguered teachers that inhabit it.

The story centres around Henry Barthes, a substitute teacher who spends three weeks at a high school where the students are as troubled as their teachers. Barthes, portrayed brilliantly by Adrien Brody, finds himself surrounded by individuals who have become jaded to the point of breaking.

His tale becomes even more complex when a chance encounter with a teenage prostitute, Erica, develops into an unconventional friendship. It's within this custodial dynamic that we see some of the films most poignant and heartbreaking moments, as well as some outstanding acting from Sami Gayle, who plays the vulnerable young girl that society has abandoned.

The film employs a three part cutaway technique with Henry Barthes providing a narrative in the form an interview, as well as flashbacks to his childhood - which allows us an insight into why he such a brooding and melancholic character. The flashbacks are often juxtaposed with scenes involving Barthes grandfather with whom he visits in hospital through out the film. The third cutaway is an animated chalkboard sequence which I felt conveyed a sense of culpability and lost innocence.

The film also boasts an extraordinary supporting cast; including James Caan, Marcia Gay Harden and a very brief appearance from Bryan Cranston, as well as a surprisingly fine turn from Lucy Liu- the schools doctor. The staffs sense of disillusionment and frustration, due to the students perpetual indifference to their own fate, is vented brilliantly by Liu in a scene that begs the question; "where, and when, did it all go wrong?"

Though dealing with very bleak subjects and despite the characters ceaseless sense of defeat and abject loathing for their profession, there are still some heart warming moments in the film. And though it offers no suggestion as to how we can amend such failings in our education system, and that parenting has in so many avenues of society become bereft of any moral guidance and adequacy, it still left me reassured that there are those who are still prepared to undertake such a daunting and thankless task.

If you're looking for an entertaining piece then I suggest you look elsewhere, but if you wish to see a brilliantly thought provoking film that raises more questions than it provides answers, and you're prepared for some uncomfortable moments, then you'll be rewarded with a film that is excellently written and directed and has some outstanding performances. A great film!

Dark

[christophe92300 · 6/10 · 30 July 2013]

Tony Kaye draws up in this Detachment a dark portrait of a teacher's job and the US educational system, and delivers a striking but unfortunately not totally convincing movie.

The film's interest lies mainly in Adrien Brody's totally nuanced and excellent performance as a troubled teacher on the verge of breaking point, within a very good cast perhaps a bit too under exploited.

As for the script, it's not uninteresting, far from it, but the omnipresent darkness turns boring: after the hour mark, the viewer has enough of seeing all those depressed teachers and this completely depressing prevailing fatalism.

The other big problem is the cinematography, a lot too stylized, clearly lacking coherence in its approach and ultimately turning out to be too messy, serving the story badly.

Disturbing and compelling; highly recommend

[chicchien8-302-481207 · 9/10 · 25 February 2012]

I haven't seen a movie that drew me in to this extent in a long time. Extremely well written, directed, cast, acted ,edited etc. with all of the team talent that it takes to make a great film. Yes, there are a couple of "predictable" story lines. Ultimately, that doesn't matter at all . Watch it and get past them. It's not just a slam about the American school system. It's about how the flaws that all of us have affect us and others. Now I'm just annoyed by the fact that I have to write 10 lines in order to recommend this film . I guess that I can say that I was really surprised to see that American Express was one of the sponsors above the title. Now, just go see it !

Powerful, yet overwrought

[lucasversantvoort · 6/10 · 6 May 2015]

To sum up what Depressi- I mean Detachment is like, just realize this is a grand social critique by the man who directed American History X. This leads me to only one way to describe Detachment: its heart is in the right place and it has some compelling drama going for it, but it's too over the top to present its social critique in a completely convincing manner. In a way, the same problems that plagued American History X now plague this film.

Our main character is a substitute teacher named Henry Barthes, played by Adrien Brody whose face has a melancholy quality that makes him a natural fit for this film. In addition to merely teaching what the school wants him to teach, he actively tries to engage the students on an emotional and ethical level, to teach them things about life and so on. He goes on about the corrupting influence of the media and how the students must learn to think for themselves, etc. You'd think that would be enough to fill one film, but we also get a prostitute Henry pick up off the streets and tries to take care. There's also Henry's dying grandfather who lives in a nursing home and various employees at the school with problems of their own. The film thus tries to paint an enormous critique of the high school system through various characters.

What the film has going for it, are the same things American History X had going for it: great acting and drama. Adrien Brody and the rest of the cast are all quite great, particularly Brody. The film is at its preachy best during the classroom scenes where Henry outlines several societal critiques in his bid to truly educate his students in his short time there. Several other scenes, including one where Henry verbally lashes one of the nursing home's employees for not taking care of his grandfather's needs, also have a great sense of drama and whether or not you'll like/love/hate the film, there is no doubt that watching Detachment is an impactful, intense experience.

The thing that really hurts this film, however, is the same thing that hurt American History X: over the top melodrama (complete with slow-motion). As the film goes on, the film becomes increasingly melodramatic to the point that it becomes detrimental to the messages the film intends to spread. When an important, tragic character dies at the end, it feels too much as if the film – like American History X – suffers from It's Not A Good Story, Unless Someone Dies syndrome and that's not what you want. You want the death to feel deserved, which I feel this film did not. Also detrimental are the amount of well-known actors in this film. This is one of those cases where the amount of stars don't mix with the type of film. An art-house film featuring a star-studded cast hurts its aims for 'realism'.

In the end it's easy to see this film has its heart in the right place. One can sense the anger behind all the social critique delivered in its scenes. Yet it is director Tony Kaye's overwrought sense of drama that makes the film devolve into an ever increasing spiral of sadness and darkness which makes it hard to deliver the Big Message without alienating the audience. Too much melodrama can turn off an audience and that's what happened for me. The film started off incredibly well, featuring lots of well-delivered social critique, but by the end – especially when (spoiler) the overweight girl died – the film became too dark and cliché-ridden. There was no light at the end of the tunnel, no subplots that ended well. Now, this is of course in line with the aims of the film, but how can I stay open to its messages when all it gives me is a nonstop portrayal of a society trapped in a downward spiral, regardless of the truths the film contains?

Excellent Cinematic Experience!

[ssamsonk · 10/10 · 18 March 2012]

What an excellent cinematic experience! Tony Kaye has done an excellent job portraying the 'existential angst' that all of us feel at sometime or the other. If emotions were like colors on a palette, the movie is a painting masterpiece. The pain and suffering that each character goes through; the search of an identity, the burden of past mistakes, redemption and forgiveness, the heart-wrenching pain of separation and the exuberant joy of reunion and so much more...It really made me feel that through this project, the actors and everyone else associated with this movie would have actually experienced 'the weighing down' effect of living that we all feel one or the other time. It had a deep impact on me. After watching this movie, I felt that I have a responsibility to do something to reduce human suffering. If not anything else at least a prayer. Thank you Tony & Adrien for an emotionally charged, thought-provoking experience!

not easy watching but brilliant

[HelenMary · 7/10 · 7 April 2013]

Adrien Brody was superb in this hard-hitting, traumatic-watching drama about a substitute teacher with high ideals and standards but fighting against personal demons in his past, difficulties in his every day life and working at a school where the children run amok and the teachers are brow-beaten and broken specimens of pedagogy. Mr Barthes (Brody) is a brilliant and inspiring teacher and a moral man, but struggling. There are powerful performances by a glittering ensemble cast; with honourable mention going to Lucy Liu, James Caan and the newly introduced Sami Gayle as young prostitute Erica. Also well acted was Betty Kaye as troubled Meredith, student in Mr Bathes class.

This is a stylised documentary-esque film... Brody is interviewed "in character" throughout the film and the film is illustrated by chalk on blackboard diagrams and the artwork of Meredith. It doesn't flow as a story/film given the artiness of it, but that adds to the drama and tension of the film and you are left feeling rather frayed at the end. Nothing in the film is "nice" and an easy-watch and you are constantly worried what the next revelation will be, but in it is still a gripping and inspirational piece of cinema; the importance of good parenting and the skill and importance of good teachers are highlights. Brody's Mr Bathes is such an inspirational teacher... and you wish there are more like him.

What's happening in our schools?

[ritewater06 · 9/10 · 16 June 2011]

Got a last second seat to see this at Tribeca and it was terrific. I wasn't prepared for such an intense roller coaster, but I was very moved. Adrien Brody gives his best performance since The Pianist and what a supporting cast…James Caan is hilarious, Marcia Gay Harden is amazing, and Lucy Liu (of all people) is so vulnerable…I didn't know she was capable of that. It seems like actors we have come to rely on for solid performances decided to experiment and step outside their comfort zone, under the direction of Tony Kaye (American History X).

The film itself is a harsh look at the realities facing inner city schools. Brody plays a substitute journeyman teacher, Henry Barthes, who (a little too Dangerous Minds) connects with his misguided students… but as opposed to trying to confront his students or make them read poetry (like 5 million other lame movies), he seems to share his own pain and anger with the world in order to connect..It really works. On them, and on us.

I don't want to give anything away, but this is a film that confronts both psychological and physical tragedy, where every character seems to be up against their own feeling of helplessness…students, teachers, administration, and a young prostitute who doesn't attend school that Henry decides to help. One especially powerful scene is Parent/Teacher night. Shocking, subtle, and effortless. That's how I would describe this whole movie.

Ultimately, Detachment was very thorough at examining the ins and outs of the schools problems through individuals and as a collective. But it also feels like a character piece about this tormented substitute. The movie jumps a little too much (maybe), but I don't really care. Tony Kaye does what he does best here, delivers a gritty, edgy, shocking, and ultimately important film. This is a director that should be making more films. I hope to see Detachment in theaters soon and I hope some of these performers will be in the conversation come awards season…they deserve it.

It starts with a whisper

[tieman64 · 24 October 2014]

"I call him religious who understands the suffering of others." - Mahatma Gandhi

Tony Kaye's "Detachment" stars Adrian Brody as substitute teacher Henry Barthes. The product of an abusive home, Barthes remains at a protective distance from other human beings. Rootless, anhedonic and without material or personal attachments, Barthes spends his days bouncing from school to school. Students don't matter. People don't matter.

Barthes' journey toward compassion and so connection begins when he meets Erica (Sami Gayle), a damaged prostitute. He takes Erica into his home, cares for her, their relationship offering respite from a world that is otherwise callous and indifferent. How indifferent? Throughout "Detachment", Kaye portrays the high-school, the streets, the family and the workplace as vile arenas. Teachers, principles, businessmen, children, adults, students...everyone on display is a cauldron of apathy, guided only by hate, ignorance, profit and self-gratification. How can such a society produce anything but monsters? How can such a society produce anything but burnt-out bodies, misery and sickness?

Kaye's solution, of course, is to try a little tenderness; inject a little love and empathy into the mix. It's a tactic which Barthes himself tries. But after hugging a depressed teenager, Barthes quickly becomes a child abuse suspect. It's a cruel irony. We no longer underestimate the power of a touch, smile, listening ear or kind word, but view such things with suspicion at best, signs of weakness at worst.

"Detachment" is said to be about the "problems with America's failing school system", but it's not really. Kaye has no interest in assigning blame to either teachers, parents or students. All may be simultaneously culpable, but for Kaye, these people and institutions are products of something else; something widespread, global and deeply entrenched. "The powers that be are dumbing us to death!" Barthes yells, as he rants about the dangers of what he calls a "marketing Holocaust". But no one listens.

"Detachment" boasts a fine performance by Adrian Brody, whose character represents the moral flip-side to his work in Ken Loach's underrated "Bread and Roses". The film has been criticised for being heavy-handed, bombastic and over-the-top, criticisms which are all true. "Detachment's" last act, which contains a clichéd suicide and much forced "tragedy", is itself mostly a mess. But some of this can be excused; shot on a low budget and in a just a handful of days, what Kaye achieves given the limitations imposed upon him is admirable. In a world of vacuous spectacle, a humble film with a point is a thing to celebrate.

7.9/10 – A good film, despite a poor second half. See "Half Nelson".

Great parts, but not consistent

[leffunov-1 · 6/10 · 27 April 2011]

I just saw this movie tonight at the Tribeca Film Festival's first public screening of the movie. The plot focuses mainly upon the life of Henry Barthes, an emotionally overwhelmed substitute teacher who often cares too much for his own good. The movie is serious and heavy-handed with Brody's character often giving strong judgments that are unrealistically tolerated throughout. The actors do a fine job of portraying their characters with exception to Christina Hendricks. Hendricks character introduction is as unrealistic as I could imagine. At times the film will switch over to focus on the other teachers, presenting teaching as a thankless job and life of harassment. Overall the story is muddled and not given space to breathe. Despite the all-star cast, two young actresses steal the spotlight. Sami Gale and Betty Kaye give heartfelt performances that I wish were more expanded upon. In fact, the celebrity presence among the teaching staff serve to be distractions from the empathy we are meant to feel elsewhere.

A word of warning: political bias is very present. So if you enjoyed Waiting for Superman, you might take umbrage to the narrative.

detachment is detached

[grhgulhan-24150 · 5/10 · 15 November 2018]

Watched this a bit too late mostly due to good score though i find detachment itself is detached. decent acting , somewhat good scenario but the stitching is bad... awkward progress of the events, and dark presentation of youth abruptly and consistently negative... could have been better.