Review of Detachment (2011) by Marischa B — 20 Sep 2012

Adrien Brody is all kinds of amazing in the hypnotic Detachment. As Henry Barthes, a high school substitute teachers doing all he can to insulate himself from the pitfalls of the public school system, Brody takes a challenging role head on, and turns in a remarkable performance.

The script by Carl Lund is bursting with individuals on the verge. School principal Carol Dearden (Marcia Gay Harden, who is excellent) is hounded by those who only view her school as a real estate commodity. A guidance counselor (Lucy Liu, in of her very best performances) and a fellow teacher (Tim Blake Nelson) are close to meltdown as Henry deals with his own problems, such as his dying grandfather (Louis Zorich) and a teen prostitute he's taken under his wing (Sami Gayle). But Henry longs to just run from it all, just like one of his students, and overweight girl (Betty Kaye, daughter of the director Tony Kaye) unable to handle the abuse she gets.

It's a myriad of issues and director Kaye doesn't shy away from making sure we feel the burdens. You might recall Kaye as the former advertising legend turned filmmaker who gave us the terrifically amazing American History X years ago and then lobbied to have his name removed from the credits. Kaye is an eccentric but also very talented, and it shows in Detachment, even with it's danger of running off the rails with detours into animation and documentary-style interviews with teachers. As well as the literary references that can be maddening. But Brody holds it all together wonderfully. He gets to you and so does the film.