Detachment

Detachment Photos

View all photos

Cast & Crew

Adrien Brody

Henry Barthes

Marcia Gay Harden

Carol Dearden

James Caan

Mr. Seaboldt

Christina Hendricks

Ms. Madison

Lucy Liu

Dr. Parker

Blythe Danner

Ms. Perkins

Tim Blake Nelson

Mr. Wiatt

William Petersen

Sarge

Bryan Cranston

Richard Dearden

Sami Gayle

Erica

Betty Kaye

Meredith

Louis Zorich

Grampa

Tony Kaye

Director

Carl Lund

Screenwriter

Austin Stark

Producer

Benji Kohn

Producer

Chris Papavasiliou

Producer

Bingo Gubelmann

Producer

Greg Shapiro

Producer

Carl Lund

Producer

Adrien Brody

Executive Producer

Patrick Sterkick

Executive Producer

Andre Laport

Executive Producer

Tony Kaye

Cinematographer

Jade Healy

Production Design

The Newton Brothers

Original Music

Beth Melsky

Casting

Wendy Schecter

Costume Design

Peter Goddard

Film Editing

Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for Detachment

Critics Consensus: 21 Jump Street is Certified Fresh

View All

Critic Reviews for Detachment

Audience Reviews for Detachment

• Jun 29, 2021

  However honest certain scenes might be the rest of the movie is nothing more than an unfocused rant. Shame to waste the talents of this cast.
  

  Super Reviewer
• Mar 30, 2014

  A dark chronicling of the sad state of the American Public School System, through the eyes of a long-term substitute teacher (Adrien Brody), wrestling his own demons whilst trying to make a difference both professionally and personally during his latest assignment. Tony Kaye's "Detachment" is not the lecture I was expecting. It's an almost spiritual study of a system; a broken one, flawed (and as suggested) not inherently but by larger societal problems too broad and numerous to fully grasp or understand. It assesses these issues not with hope but with pitch black honesty. No solutions given but the disturbing thought that some things will never change. Kaye uses the phenomenal performance of Adrian Brody to ground us in the drama. We think at first this will be one man's story, but the narrative's concerns are much broader. This reminded me of "American History X," a masterpiece, also directed by Kaye. It showcases a career best performance (Ed Norton in that movie) in a character piece that isn't so much about a personal journey as it is a grand statement about a specific social problem that will continue to thrive with no end in sight. In "Detachment," Kaye's technique is equally experimental, in a story that's even less streamlined. Brody is definitely the star of the movie, but is not necessarily the focus. We are violently thrust into the lives of a myriad characters; unexpectedly and frantically at times. It could be argued that "Detachment" lacks focus to a fault, but I didn't feel this. Kaye's creation works as collage, similar to but not as extreme as Terrence Malick's take on WWII in "The Thin Red Line." As with "American History X," Kaye's stance is obvious and moment to moment scenes are a bit preachy, but none of this detracts from the established tone and eventual takeaway of this socially conscience, effortlessly powerful movie. The film's cold, apocalyptic final shots aptly conclude a bleak portrait. One that's relentlessly grim, sure, but a bold work of cinema that leaves a lot to ponder.
  

  Super Reviewer
• Jun 23, 2013

  I found this film depressing, and overall just empty. It is non-stop gloom and doom, and it seems each person is having major issues: from the students, to the faculty, to any other supporting cast members. The issues are never resolved, they just seem to linger throughout. After it was all over, I just felt unsatisfied, and unmoved by it all....
  

  Super Reviewer
• May 29, 2013

  Having been a big fan of "American History X" in 1998, I was eager to see what else director Tony Kaye had in store. Unfortunately, he didn't make that many films and those that he did - "Lobby Lobster" and "Black Water Transit" - didn't quite reach a bigger audience. As a result, I was happy to come across "Detachment" which proves that Kaye hasn't lost any of his style or starkness. Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody) is a substitute teacher brought in to a struggling urban high school to teach English and work with kids who are performing at a very low grade. Being a substitute is exactly the way Henry likes it as he deliberately tries to avoid making genuine connections with people (and that includes his pupils). As time goes on, though, Mr. Barthes realises his pupils' needs for his input which forces him to confront his own demons and isolation. "And never have I felt so deeply at one and the same time so detached from myself and so present in the world." As the film opens, this is the quote from French philosopher Albert Camus, that's scribed onto a blackboard before we are introduced to the protagonist and the personal conflict he finds himself in. On the one hand, he's a caring individual but on the other, he deliberately keeps a distance from people as he's consumed by a guilt that doesn't belong to him. His detachment is also reflected in the frustrated and disillusioned pupils he teaches, making this a melting pot of emotionally dysfunctional people. It's this very mirroring in the individuals that make this quite a thought provoking character study, as well as a diatribe on the state of the American educational system and the problems therein. Kaye shoots the film with an edgy, fly on the wall approach, utilising the shaky-cam technique and numerous close-ups that bring you closer to the characters and their inner turmoil. There's also the assembly of a very impressive cast, all-be-it, a lot of them are wasted in thankless, underwritten roles. The likes of Bryan Cranston, Blythe Danner and William Petersen needn't have turned up at all, but James Caan lightens the mood whenever he's onscreen and the young unknowns get a chance to shine instead; particularly (the director's daughter) Betty Kaye, who develops a crush on her teacher and Sami Gayle as a young prostitute who develops a similar infatuation. The real star, though, is a brooding and commanding Brody. He's rarely offscreen for the entirety of the film and even though it's no surprise that he delivers his usual reliability, he's especially good with a very powerful and charismatic performance. However, the cast and the impressive handling of the material can't save the film from being overly depressing, or when drawing to it's conclusion, descending into melodrama from which it never fully recovers. Cut from the same cloth as the, Oscar nominated, Ryan Gosling movie "Half Nelson", director Tony Kaye delivers a good insight into the difficulties of teaching and the importance of instilling a good childhood and sense of self in our youth. Mark Walker
  

  Super Reviewer