Disconnect (I) (2012)

A drama centered on a group of people searching for human connections in today's wired world.

Director:

Henry Alex Rubin

Writer:

Andrew Stern

Stars:

Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Jonah Bobo

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Bateman	...	Rich Boyd
Hope Davis	...	Lydia Boyd
Frank Grillo	...	Mike Dixon
Michael Nyqvist	...	Stephen Schumacher
Paula Patton	...	Cindy Hull
Andrea Riseborough	...	Nina Dunham
Alexander Skarsgård	...	Derek Hull
Max Thieriot	...	Kyle
Colin Ford	...	Jason Dixon
Jonah Bobo	...	Ben Boyd
Haley Ramm	...	Abby Boyd
Norbert Leo Butz	...	Peter
Kasi Lemmons	...	Roberta Washington
John Sharian	...	Ross Lynd
Aviad Bernstein	...	Frye

Storyline

A hard-working lawyer, attached to his cell phone, can't find the time to communicate with his family. A couple is drawn into a dangerous situation when their secrets are exposed online. A widowed ex-cop struggles to raise a mischievous son who cyber-bullies a classmate. An ambitious journalist sees a career-making story in a teen that performs on an adult-only site. They are strangers, neighbors and colleagues and their stories collide in this riveting dramatic thriller about ordinary people struggling to connect in today's wired world.

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Taglines:

Look Up

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, some graphic nudity, language, violence and drug use - some involving teens

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lahti ühendatud

Filming Locations:

Saw Mill River Motel, Elmsford, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$210,744 (USA) (3 May 2013)

Gross:

$1,435,950 (USA) (17 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

LD Entertainment, Wonderful Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

With the exception of Nina Dunham's iPhone 5, the phones used by most characters are actually iPod Touch devices.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2012 (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Keep Everybody Warm"
Performed by Prairie Cartel
Written by Michael Willison, Jodie Lynn Zeitler, David Scott Lucas
Published by Long Nights / Impossible Odds
Courtesy of The Prairie Cartel

User Reviews

Sad story of how technology alienates us rather than bringing us closer

A brilliant story to tell how technology has alienated marriage, family and friendship instead of connecting people. It is even sadder when all the stories are based on true events. I watched it at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and for the first time after almost 10 films thought this is the first one which can be publicly released for a wider audience because of its social message, especially right after two cases of murders of local parents by their adult sons who loved to play computer games.

Disconnect mainly centers on three sub stories which are loosely linked. There was nothing wrong in each character's internal logic or perception of the world: a lonely teenager looking for friendship, a wife confiding to a stranger on the internet because her husband cannot talk with her on their loss of their son, a young journalist trying to get a scoop on runaway youth turned cyber sex provider.

As the story progress, however, we see how these longing deviate and troubles follow. Some people were so longing for connection with other human beings but cannot be satisfied at home that they naively trust this virtual relationship on the internet or mobile phone – while on the other end of the line, their "friends" might well be abuser or bullies, taking advantage of these lonely hearts, intentionally or not.

Since the director used to shoot documentaries, the film is filled with an authentic flavor, developing with an urgent tempo. The cast are excellent in portraying they care for their families with wrong method so it looks like they are communicating on the wrong channels thus counterproductive. Jason Bateman is superb in portraying a concerned father who tried to save his son after realizing how much he has neglected him. The large portion of computer chat is displayed by text overlaying on head shots of the authors. And here is what we see how good the acting is, especially young Colin Ford who showed a strong sense of guilt on an innocent face, but also deep concern for his friend.

The characters are not lovable but you cannot help but feel sorry for them and keep asking what went wrong. It also makes us reflect what we need to do, as parents, as classmate, as a regular net shopper to be really connected with people we care amid this overflow of information technology. Just turn off your computer, drop your mobile, and go see it.