Detachment (2011)

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

Director:

Tony Kaye

Writer:

Carl Lund

Stars:

Adrien Brody, Christina Hendricks, Marcia Gay Harden

8 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adrien Brody	...	Henry Barthes
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Principal Carol Dearden
James Caan	...	Mr. Charles Seaboldt
Christina Hendricks	...	Ms. Sarah Madison
Lucy Liu	...	Dr. Doris Parker
Blythe Danner	...	Ms. Perkins
Tim Blake Nelson	...	Mr. Wiatt
William Petersen	...	Mr. Sarge Kepler
Bryan Cranston	...	Mr. Dearden
Sami Gayle	...	Erica
Betty Kaye	...	Meredith
Louis Zorich	...	Grampa
Isiah Whitlock Jr.	...	Mr. Mathias
Chris Papavasiliou	...	Dr. Hart
Kwoade Cross	...	Andy

Storyline

Detachment is a chronicle of three weeks in the lives of several high school teachers, administrators and students through the eyes of a substitute teacher named Henry Barthes. Henry roams from school to school, imparting modes of knowledge, but never staying long enough to form any semblance of sentient attachment. A perfect profession for one seeking to hide out in the open. One day Henry arrives at his next assignment. Upon his entry into this particular school, a secret world of emotion is awakened within him by three women. A girl named Meredith in his first period. A fellow teacher Ms. Madison, and a street hooker named Erica, whom Henry has personally granted brief shelter from the streets. Each one of these women, like Henry, are in a life and death struggle to find beauty in a seemingly vicious and loveless world.

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Plot Keywords:

teacher | school | woman wearing black lingerie | part animation | animal abuse | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Wincott was considered for the role of Mr. Dearden.

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Goofs

Boom mic visible reflected in the glass as Henry and Erica come out of the hospital.

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Quotes

Henry Barthes: Y'know you can't... you can't keep living on the street...
Erica: I'm not, I mean, I'm staying here with you.
Henry Barthes: Well, you can't continue to stay here with me. I'm not good for you...
Erica: That's not true. You're like, the only family I've ever had...
Henry Barthes: Well, I can't be your family, I can't give you what you need. You have to understand, you should be...
Erica: You're good and gentle, you're the most kind... I love you Henry. Don't let them take me, please nooooooooo, you're all I have, please don't let me go.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

[intertitle near start] And never have I felt so deeply at one and the same time so detached from myself and so present in the world. - Albert Camus

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Connections

Featured in Chelsea Lately: Episode #6.46 (2012)

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Soundtracks

Distress
Written by Taylor Eigsti

User Reviews

Disturbing and compelling; highly recommend

I haven't seen a movie that drew me in to this extent in a long time. Extremely well written, directed, cast, acted ,edited etc. with all of the team talent that it takes to make a great film. Yes, there are a couple of "predictable" story lines. Ultimately, that doesn't matter at all . Watch it and get past them. It's not just a slam about the American school system. It's about how the flaws that all of us have affect us and others. Now I'm just annoyed by the fact that I have to write 10 lines in order to recommend this film . I guess that I can say that I was really surprised to see that American Express was one of the sponsors above the title. Now, just go see it !

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 2012 (France)

Also Known As:

Detachment

Filming Locations:

Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,739, 18 March 2012

Gross USA:

$72,689

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,688,710

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paper Street Films, Appian Way, Kingsgate Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1