Detachment

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Detachment

2012

1h 37m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

69 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody) is a substitute teacher who shuns emotional connections, and never stays long enough in one district to bond with his students or colleagues. Troubled and lost, Henry lands at a public school where an apathetic student body and disinterested parents have created a frustrated, burned-out group of teachers and administrators. Inadvertently, Henry becomes a role model to his disaffected students and bonds with a teenage runaway who is just as lost as he is.

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Critics Consensus

Detachment's heart is in the right place, but overall it doesn't offer any solutions to its passionate ranting.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 8, 2017

A

A gripping drama, Detachment offers a gut-wrenching look at the school system, as told by the unsung heroes--the teachers.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Jul 15, 2012

3/5

Detachment has such original energy and is so infused with righteous anger that it proves hard to dismiss.

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Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Jul 13, 2012

1/5

Grappling with the dilapidation of America's school system is fair enough, but the movie is painfully undone by its pretentious poetry of despair.

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Sonia Zadurian

CineVue

Jan 26, 2019

3/5

Detachment clearly has high aspirations, but unfortunately its jumbled narration means that it falls just shy of the mark.

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PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

Jan 8, 2019

3/5

Tony Kaye's ragged, expressionistic aesthetic may have its detractors but it intuitively suits the wrought scenario of Detachment.

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Neely Swanson

Easy Reader (California)

Sep 18, 2017

This is imitation Polanski, and not a good imitation at that.

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Monica G

@monagrando Sep 2, 2026

I liked the characters and thought it was very moving.

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Peeyush S

@RT14172489 Aug 15, 2026

Such a different perspective of lives! This is to touching movie.

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Cedrik N

@Cedrik.N Jul 26, 2026

For me it's a hard movie to really understand and enjoy. At the same time I like the way the movie is shot. I also like the actors Adrien Brody is a great actor.

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Frank R.

@RT14582405 Jun 7, 2026

Best scenes were in the classroom.

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Janet W.

@designaire Jun 5, 2026

I thought it was good. It showed struggling kids and teachers. The substitute tries to help but has mixed success. There isn’t a definite resolution except that the school system is failing. The substitute is going through his own feeling of isolation which he explains between different scenes. Acting is good.

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Kyle G

@ReviewwhenIwant May 21, 2026

Great movie. Realistic performances. Excellent job at garnering sympathy for the characters. Didn't like some of the camera work.

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Tony Kaye

Director

Adrien Brody

Henry Barthes

Marcia Gay Harden

Carol Dearden

James Caan

Mr. Seaboldt

Christina Hendricks

Ms. Madison

Lucy Liu

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Synopsis

Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody) is a substitute teacher who shuns emotional connections, and never stays long enough in one district to bond with his students or colleagues. Troubled and lost, Henry lands at a public school where an apathetic student body and disinterested parents have created a frustrated, burned-out group of teachers and administrators. Inadvertently, Henry becomes a role model to his disaffected students and bonds with a teenage runaway who is just as lost as he is.

Director: Tony Kaye
Producer: Austin Stark, Benji Kohn, Chris Papavasiliou, Bingo Gubelmann, Greg Shapiro, Carl Lund
Screenwriter: Carl Lund
Distributor: Tribeca Film
Production Co: Paper Street Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 16, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $71.2K
Runtime: 1h 37m

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