DETACHMENT by Daniel Hubschman
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DETACHMENT By Daniel Hubschman Hollywood has had lots to say about the American school system as of late, and whether you choose to believe the information presented to you via eye-opening documentaries like Waiting For Superman or fictional phenomenon’s like Fox’s Glee, it’s clear that our educational institutions are out-of whack at best, broken at worst. No one has been able to depict this disheartening downward spiral quite like director Tony Kaye with his new film Detachment. In it, the reclusive auteur focuses on just a few weeks in the life of Henry Barthes, a substitute teacher who gets more than he bargained for when he takes a job at a fledgling high school, and in the process gives parents, professors and kids a much-needed wake-up call. In this short period of time, Kaye dissects the contemporary classroom with unflinching realism. The grainy, worn film stock he uses for his verite’ photography, coupled with topical subject matter ranging from child prostitution and teen suicide to parental negligence, makes the movie appear to be more a documentary than a narrative feature, but that’s where Carl Lund’s poetic screenplay comes in. His prose is simultaneously beautiful and brutal, effortlessly supplying existential excerpts for star Adrien Brody, darkly comic bits for fellow teacher James Caan and up-to- the-minute slanguage for the teenage students. He also uses this star- studded stage (the ensemble includes Marcia Gay Harden, Tim Blake Nelson and Christina Hendricks among many others) to touch upon the larger sociopolitical issues effecting our schools and children, lashing out at numerous initiatives/establishments like “No Child Left Behind” that we’re led to believe have been implemented to increase residential property values instead of grades. Though the script begins to sound like a sermon at times, it’s not intrusive enough to become distasteful. Quite simply, it’s brazenly truthful. However, excessive exposition can often hurt a film’s momentum and Kaye gets unnecessarily sidetracked with the painful back-stories of his characters. Brody’s Barthes is our central protagonist, so the sub-plot involving his aging, ailing grandfather is essential in defining him, but the filmmaker forces insight into the lives of almost every teacher (and a few of the students) down our throats. Individually, each vignette is heartrending but distracting; the majority of them have little connection to the main narrative. Collectively, they illustrate many of the problems that contemporary families face and, more importantly, create an emotional crescendo leading into the inevitably tragic conclusion. The brilliance of this casual buildup to the film’s climax is a nod to Kaye’s storytelling aptitude. I found him utilizing the kind of in-your-face filmmaking tactics that Spike Lee made commonplace in his early movies, most noticeably with close-ups on a few actors who irritably address the camera head-on (like in Do The Right Thing). In addition, he intensifies the action with quick cuts and aggressive push-ins that elaborate on each character’s crisis. Perfection clearly isn't his strong point; Kaye frames his shots sloppily at times and doesn't attempt anything groundbreaking, but maximizes the potential of tried-and-true lo-fi techniques. His stylistic abilities are second only to Brody’s performance, which is subtle, sad and sweet all at once. We take an emotional and psychological plunge with the native New Yorker as he navigates a teenage wasteland of sex, drugs, violence and depression, but it’s all just another day at school to America’s urban youth. Long absent since his freshman feature American History X, Detachment is a welcome return for Tony Kaye, whose commitment to the integrity of this story is marked by unrelenting bleakness in its tone and uncensored cynicism regarding the state of our schools. He doesn’t portray every educator as a saint or every student as a sinner; through Brody, he imparts on us the uneasy truth about the direct correlation between our failure as parents and the failure our children: we're one and the same. The true genius in his film is not represented in the text of his commentary, but in his ability to forge an explanatory mosaic from his characters’ varying but related points of view. Because of this, there are multiple mini-narratives that run through Detachment and all of them are worthy of your attention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etachment: Tribeca Review 5:39 PM - 4/26/2011 by Frank Scheck The Bottom Line Harrowing depiction of the American educational system features a superb performance by Adrien Brody. Director/director of photography: Tony Kaye Screenwriter: Carl Lund Cast: Adrien Brody, Marcia Gay Harden, James Caan, Christina Hendricks Director Tony Kaye's depiction of a substitute teacher's hellish experience in a public high school makes his "American History X" seem lighthearted by comparison. NEW YORK — Movies have been depicting the horrors of the American educational system for more than half a century, from The Blackboard Jungle to Dangerous Minds and others too numerous to mention. But none has reached quite the nightmarish depths of Detachment, the latest effort from cinematic provocateur Tony Kaye. This film depicting the hellish experiences of a high school substitute teacher makes such previous works by the filmmaker as American History X seem positively lighthearted by comparison. Commercial prospects look dicey, but there’s sure to be kudos for the film, which recently received its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Adrien Brody, delivering his finest performance since The Pianist, plays the central role of the disaffected Henry Barthes. Henry’s latest gig is at an inner-city public school that is clearly falling apart. Its principal (Marcia Gay Harden) is about to be forced out due to abysmal test scores, the teachers and other staff members all seem to be floundering, and the vast majority of students display zero interest in learning. But the kids do respond positively to Henry’s stoic demeanor, his refusal to back down in the face of their taunts and his uncommon degree of empathy. Among those who blossom under his tutelage is Meredith (Betty Kaye, the director’s daughter), an emotionally fragile young woman who displays a genuine talent for photography. While attempting to handle his demanding work duties, Henry must also contend with a grandfather (Louis Zorich) suffering from dementia and — representing the film’s most clichéd element — a teenage prostitute (Sami Gayle) who he takes under his wing. As usual, the director injects intense visual stylization into the proceedings to frequently arresting effect. The film begins with stark, black- and-white filmed interviews with presumably real teachers describing their experiences and also includes brief animated snippets commenting on the action and a series of sepia-toned flashbacks depicting a traumatic event from Henry’s childhood. Carl Lund’s screenplay is most effective in its depictions of the charged interactions between the students and teachers, which could have been written by Paddy Chayefsky in his prime. Among the powerful performers in the terrific ensemble are James Caan as a wisecracking older teacher who’s seen it all, Christina Hendricks as a colleague who takes a shine to Henry, Lucy Liu as a guidance counselor reduced to verbally abusing her charges, and Tim Blake Nelson as a teacher on the verge of cracking. The younger performers make equally strong impressions, and Brody delivers an award-caliber turn that is all the more effective for the quiet restraint he exhibits for most of the film’s running time. It could certainly be argued that Detachment is ultimately more sensationalistic than it is enlightening. But there’s no denying that it’s the work of a powerhouse filmmaker trying to shake audiences up. Here he succeeds handily. Venue: Tribeca Film Festival Production Companies: Paper Street Films, Kingsgate Films, Appian Way Cast: Adrien Brody, Marcia Gay Harden, James Caan, Christina Hendricks, Lucy Liu, Blythe Danner, Tim Blake Nelson, William Petersen, Bryan Cranston, Sami Gayle, Betty Kaye Director/director of photography: Tony Kaye Screenwriter: Carl Lund Producers: Austin Stark, Benji Kohn, Bingo Gubelmann, Carl Lund, Chris Papavasilio, Greg Shapiro Executive producers: Adrien Brody, Peter Sterling, Andre Laport Editors: Barry Alexander Brown, Geoffrey Richman Production designer: Jade Healy Costume designer: Wendy Schecter Music: The Newton Brothers No rating, 100 minutes Detachment 27 April, 2011 | By Howard Feinstein Dir: Tony Kaye. US. 2011. 100mins Detachment is the colourful, fluid story about a substitute teacher, Henry (Adrien Brody), his colleagues, and the teen prostitute, Erica (Sami Gayle), he salvages from the gutter, in which, as odd as it may seem, monologues about progressive social issues serve the narrative well. Dotted with rapid flashbacks and impressive chalk animation, the film is as vivid as a Bollywood musical, but way livelier, visually more abstract, and kitschless, with the Newton Brothers’ glorious soundtrack rising and falling appropriately. The film - which had its world premiere at Tribeca - will be critic-driven for certain, but once word spreads about its accessibility in spite of its unique artfulness and intelligent subject matter and dialogue, an educated and worldly public will wonder what the fuss is about and venture into upscale arthouses everywhere.