Detachment

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Detachment

Released Mar 16, 2012

1h 37m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

59%

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69 Reviews

74%

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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

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

Rated: A

Sep 8, 2017

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

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

Rated: 3/5

Jul 15, 2012

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Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

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

Rated: 1/5

Jul 13, 2012

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Sonia Zadurian

CineVue

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

Rated: 3/5

Jan 26, 2019

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PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

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

Rated: 3/5

Jan 8, 2019

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Neely Swanson

Easy Reader (California)

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

Sep 18, 2017

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Audience Member

This is a genuine work of art. W adrien as always

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/18/24

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Audience Member

A bleak portrayal of the reality of a fragile and damaged humankind. The protagonist is detached but his heart still shows through in his dedication to those he impacts. Really related to this film, working helping troubled people and still caring while experiencing depression and depersonalization myself, this film accurately depicted what it's like. The cycle of psychological disarray and hurt in those around you, feeling like your help goes into a void when the kids lack the radical psychological intervention they need and return to the home which shaped them through abuse or neglect, but continuing with an accepted nihilism. It's heartwarming nonetheless, seeing how people transform through the teachers presence throughout the film. It's a delicate balance to care yet be detached enough in a doomed world. The lead actor did a fantastic job

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/05/24

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Victor B

Hands down, probably my new favorite movie of all time, you need to watch it if you havent. Its one of the few movies today that really makes you think, like really makes you think.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/05/24

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Thomas S

Honestly, it all felt too forced to my taste. Yes, the message is clear : the school system needs to be molten again, yes it produces broken souls such as the prostitute or Meredith... But there's a more subtle way to do it imo. I felt almost like having in andigestion. The first scene with the "People lacking self-awareness" quote is great though

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/05/24

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Sandra F

The next time I see it will be the 35th time I'll have seen it. It's beauty and simplicity in an obviously complicated situation and life, just takes you over and let's you know that we're all part of lifes storyline of heartache, heartbreak and heartfelt meetings and intricacies. I really loved it.. love it .

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/01/24

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Iraj B

An important letter to teachers parents and students alike about problems we all face giving us many ways out and many solutions the film ends by giving you that choice by by being detached

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/27/24

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Tony Kaye

Director

Adrien Brody

Henry Barthes

Marcia Gay Harden

Carol Dearden

James Caan

Mr. Seaboldt

Christina Hendricks

Ms. Madison

Lucy Liu

Dr. Parker

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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

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