Review of Detachment (2011) by Zach J — 11 Dec 2012

A substitute teacher who drifts from classroom to classroom finds a connection to the students and teachers during his latest assignment.

Rating: 10/10 (100%).

I'd like to state outright that "Detachment", tied with "Moonrise Kingdom", is the best film of 2012. A truly realistic, heart-wrenching, and depressing film. The screenplay was written by Carl Lund, which is actually his first screenplay. I cannot wait to see what else this man will write, as this is one of the finest crafted scripts in quite some time. The story is brilliantly told, and flows in a perfect pace, with very powerful dialogue. The direction was done by Tony Kaye, who directed American History X, which in my opinion is one of the finest films ever made. Kaye directed this film quite stylistically, like he was wanting the cinematography to be well focused but having a feeling of being detached from everything. The film was led by an unflinching performance by Adrien Brody, who gives the second greatest performance of his career (just edging up behind his role in "The Pianist"), and it features a truly brilliant supporting cast consisting of Christina Hendricks, Marcia Gay Harden, William Peterson, and Betty Kaye (who is the daughter of the director). I just cannot get over how powerful this film is, and how realistic it is. I must say that it is unlike any film I have ever seen in my life.

To conclude this sloppy review, "Detachment" is unlike anything I have witnessed, it is a very true to life, passionate, and disturbing film by a very talented director. What makes it even more chilling is that it correctly portrays modern high-school life. I highly recommend to all. Thanks for reading.