Detachment

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Detachment

2012

1h 37m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

69 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody) is a substitute teacher who shuns emotional connections, and never stays long enough in one district to bond with his students or colleagues. Troubled and lost, Henry lands at a public school where an apathetic student body and disinterested parents have created a frustrated, burned-out group of teachers and administrators. Inadvertently, Henry becomes a role model to his disaffected students and bonds with a teenage runaway who is just as lost as he is.

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Critics Consensus

Detachment's heart is in the right place, but overall it doesn't offer any solutions to its passionate ranting.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/08/2017

A

A gripping drama, Detachment offers a gut-wrenching look at the school system, as told by the unsung heroes--the teachers.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

07/15/2012

3/5

Detachment has such original energy and is so infused with righteous anger that it proves hard to dismiss.

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Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

07/13/2012

1/5

Grappling with the dilapidation of America's school system is fair enough, but the movie is painfully undone by its pretentious poetry of despair.

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Sonia Zadurian

CineVue

01/26/2019

3/5

Detachment clearly has high aspirations, but unfortunately its jumbled narration means that it falls just shy of the mark.

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PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

01/08/2019

3/5

Tony Kaye's ragged, expressionistic aesthetic may have its detractors but it intuitively suits the wrought scenario of Detachment.

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Neely Swanson

Easy Reader (California)

09/18/2017

This is imitation Polanski, and not a good imitation at that.

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Tomato B.

@GummyBee Apr 24

What a wake up call this movie is. It’s not for the faint of heart.

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Rohit R

@RT41221724 Feb 18

Groundedly disturbing. Necessary watch.

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Thomas D

@timmytuff Dec 6

Hit so deep, feels like it changed the way I view things, this movie inspires me to want to do good when it is completely optional and out of my concern. The narrative and backstory can be a bit confusing but apart from that it is beautiful.

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Davi 1

@Davitr3 Nov 9

There’s an intriguing film buried within Detachment — a meditation on pain, disconnection, and the quiet collapse of modern institutions. Adrien Brody’s performance is the film’s fragile soul: restrained, wounded, and profoundly human. In his weary eyes lies everything the screenplay tries to articulate. Yet Tony Kaye’s direction suffocates the story beneath layers of artifice. The relentless visual experimentation, the erratic editing, the desperate reach for profundity — all work against the film’s core honesty. What could have been a subtle portrait of despair becomes a dissonant cry for meaning. Still, the story itself has power. The idea of a teacher trying to teach compassion while unable to feel it himself is quietly devastating. If only the direction had trusted the silence, Detachment could have reached the greatness it glimpses. Rating: 4/10.

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Aidan M.

@Aidan72 Oct 19

Heartbreaking and uplifting all the same. Not an easy watch. But a necessary one for anybody wishing to be a parent or teacher. Or anyone in general. There is something for everyone to pull from this film. Both leads had me hooked and… yeah. Very well made for the small budget it had. Highly recommend.

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Joel M

@RT25238470 Oct 13

This movie really makes you feel something, it’s powerful, raw, and deeply moving. It also sparked my love for Adrian Brody, who completely carries the film with his heartfelt and haunting performance.

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Tony Kaye

Director

Adrien Brody

Henry Barthes

Marcia Gay Harden

Carol Dearden

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Christina Hendricks

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Synopsis

Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody) is a substitute teacher who shuns emotional connections, and never stays long enough in one district to bond with his students or colleagues. Troubled and lost, Henry lands at a public school where an apathetic student body and disinterested parents have created a frustrated, burned-out group of teachers and administrators. Inadvertently, Henry becomes a role model to his disaffected students and bonds with a teenage runaway who is just as lost as he is.

Director: Tony Kaye
Producer: Austin Stark, Benji Kohn, Chris Papavasiliou, Bingo Gubelmann, Greg Shapiro, Carl Lund
Screenwriter: Carl Lund
Distributor: Tribeca Film
Production Co: Paper Street Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 16, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $71.2K
Runtime: 1h 37m