▲ Henry Barthes is the human embodiment of detachment, lacking a full spectrum of human emotions. Provided by anamorphosis-and-isolate.tumblr.com.

Caught up in a cutthroat competition that we call “education,” most people nowadays choose to turn a blind eye on the kids who get left behind. In a world where one’s Grade Point Average (GPA) matters more than one’s interest and talent, Detachment (2011) sheds light on the limitations of public education and educators’ desperate attempts to save those kids who are drowning in the chaos of their lives. 

Detachment paints a realistic, yet gloomy picture of today’s public high schools in the United States (U.S.). However, this movie distances itself from other films of a similar kind in that it zeros in on the struggles of teachers. In many cases, movies about schools often revolve around students, with the teachers playing more of a supporting role. On the contrary, this movie conveys a different message about the enormous responsibilities that education entails and those who bear the burden.

In spite of its rather lackluster and depressing tone, Detachment has gone on to win eight awards and six nominations in a number of distinguished international film festivals. Directed by Tony Kaye and starring Academy Award-winning actor Adrien Brody, the power of this movie lies not in eye-catching computer graphics or jaw-dropping plot twists, but in the actors’ genuine and raw emotions that are vividly delivered through the screen.

Detachment centers on a substitute teacher Henry Barthes, played by Adrien Brody, who pathologically avoids forming any attachment with his students and colleagues by drifting from one school to another. However, he finds reasons to break down the walls in the unlikeliest place, at a dysfunctional high school where he is newly assigned. In an attempt to salvage a neglected student and a teenage prostitute, he learns the true meaning of education and the value of emotional connections.

Main Themes

To take off the lid and dig deeper into this movie, one of the central messages of Detachment is clearly reflected in Henry’s monologue. “There should be a prerequisite for being a parent,” he says, underscoring the importance of parents’ role in a child’s upbringing. The director drives the message home by portraying how the students’ wayward behaviors stem from their parents’ irresponsibility and indifference.

Subsequently, the burden that the parents neglect falls squarely on the teachers, who do their utmost to help the students figure out who they are and make a difference in their chaotic lives. However, no matter how hard they try, it has always been a losing fight from the beginning, because only with genuine care and support at home can kids learn to stand on their own two feet.

▲ Henry gradually learns to care for others who are lost without his guidance. Provided by podmosta.bg.

If anyone were to understand the gravity of this concept, it would be Henry, who also suffered from a critical lack of parental affection in his childhood due to his mother’s suicide. As a result, he has his own share of psychological issues, as demonstrated in his tendency to stay away from having any meaningful relationships with others. Yet, it is precisely this psychological instability that enables him to empathize with the kids who need someone to “understand the complexities of their lives.”

Critical Reception

Despite an impressive array of awards and nominations, Detachment has garnered mixed reviews from the public and the critics alike. Yes, Kaye’s message about education and parenting is clear enough, but what leaves the audience thirsting for more is a solution or an alternative to this egregious institutional problem in our society. In that sense, it is no wonder that the ending seems a bit rushed and even incomplete.

In addition, another area that has room for improvement is the overly exaggerated portrayal of the characters and plot devices from beginning to end. Henry’s monologue that shows his emotional vulnerability sets the tone of the movie right from the get-go, and it grows darker and darker as the movie progresses. As if the relentless pessimism was not depressing enough for the audience, it goes on to bombard them with heavy subjects like rape, prostitution, suicide, and drug abuse.

Unfortunately, such melodramatics and cynicism only get in the way of the director’s efforts to create the illusion of reality and authenticity by using documentary-like filming techniques. Ironically, this can even exhaust or bore the audience in some ways. The overuse of negativity starts to seem like a repeated pattern, rather than an intriguing suspense that has the audience sitting on the edge of their seats. It might have done the movie more good if Kaye had taken it down a few notches.

Cinematic Techniques

Speaking of filming techniques, the director has integrated a number of different cinematic elements in Detachment. Based on his previous experience of filming documentaries, he makes an extensive use of documentary-like filming methods, formally known as docu-fiction or docu-drama. On top of that, Kaye inserts chalkboard animations such as a guillotine and prison bars to reinforce the mood of the film every now and then.

Perhaps another notable aspect is the use of close-up testimonials and interviews throughout the movie. By placing interviews with actual teachers at the very beginning, the director straight up tells the audience what the movie is all about. Aside from the interview, Henry’s monologue that closely zooms into his face is presumably another artistic choice made by the director.

All in all, Detachment is a meaningful movie because it brings the focus back to the educators whose dedication is often overlooked and the troubled adolescents who are left to their own devices. Indeed, not every teacher is a tormented slave and not every student is a suicidal teenager or a runaway hooker like those in this movie. Still, it manages to serve its purpose in that it paints a worst-case scenario, as a warning of sorts. The audience can also learn to appreciate the reality that is not as hopeless and cynical as the one depicted in Detachment.

Film Information
Title: Detachment (2011)
Running time: 98 minutes
Director: Tony Kaye
Release Date: 2011.4.25 (U.S.)