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Detachment
2011 98 min United States of America 18+
★7.2
Drama
Director: Tony Kaye
Trailers
Description
A chronicle of three weeks in the lives of several high school teachers, administrators and students through the eyes of substitute teacher, Henry Barthes. Henry roams from school to school, imparting modes of knowledge, but never staying long enough to form any semblance of sentient attachment.
US Gross:
$72,689
Worldwide:
$1.68M
Starring
Adrien Brody
Actor
Christina Hendricks
Actor
Marcia Gay Harden
Actor
Awards
8 wins & 4 nominations total
Key opinion
Detachment is a bleak, poignant drama that explores the failures of the educational system and the profound alienation of its characters. While audiences and critics are divided over the film's narrative structure and the necessity of its grim tone, the performance by Adrien Brody is widely considered the central pillar that holds the experience together.
| Acting | Adrien Brody provides a standout, grounded performance that serves as the essential anchor for the entire narrative. | |
| Originality | The film effectively rejects standard Hollywood clichés of the 'inspirational teacher' genre, opting for a raw, semi-documentary approach. | |
| Direction | The integration of interview snippets, charcoal sketches, and non-linear storytelling creates a unique, though sometimes challenging, visual and structural experience. | |
| Theme | The film explores the heavy, interconnected themes of societal decay, parental neglect, and the psychological toll of the teaching profession with unflinching intensity. | |
| Pacing | The film's pacing and narrative flow are polarizing; some viewers find the contemplative, episodic rhythm deeply immersive, while others find the disjointed structure boring and lacking in focus. |