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 | |
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Betty Kaye | ... | Meredith |
Louis Zorich | ... | Grampa | |
Isiah Whitlock Jr. | ... | Mr. Mathias | |
Chris Papavasiliou | ... | Dr. Hart | |
Kwoade Cross | ... | Andy |
In Director Tony Kaye's Detachment, Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody stars as Henry Barthes, an educator with a true talent to connect with his students. Yet Henry has chosen to bury his gift. By spending his days as a substitute teacher, he conveniently avoids any emotional connections by never staying anywhere long enough to form an attachment to either students or colleagues. When a new assignment places him at a public school where a frustrated, burned-out administration has created an apathetic student body, Henry quickly becomes a role model as a teacher who actually cares about the well-being of these students. In finding an emotional connection to the students but also fellow teachers and a runaway teen, he finds that he's not alone in a life and death struggle to find beauty in a seemingly vicious and loveless world. Written by Tribeca Film
Henry Barthes (Adryen Brody) is a high-school substitute teacher emotionally detached from everyone but his grandfather. When he was a seven year-old boy, he saw his mother committing and he is a traumatized and sad man. Henry is assigned to work for one-month in a decadent public school and along this period, he meets the teenage prostitute Erica (Sami Gayle) on the streets and he brings her to his apartment to take care of her. In his class, he feels affection for the troubled student Meredith (Betty Kaye) and tries to help her. These adolescents change his emotions toward people.
"Detachment" is a depressive view of the sick and dysfunctional modern society though the routine of a substitute teacher that makes the difference in the universe of teenagers, parents and other teachers. There are memorable scenes, like the breakdown of the counselor Dr. Doris Parker (Lucy Liu); or Henry explaining to the students the importance of reading to create their own thoughts and beliefs; or Henry saying that parenthood should require curriculum. On the other side, the reaction of Ms. Sarah Madison when Henry is hugging Meredith is impressive and part of a morally corrupted society that only can see vicious in a sympathetic gesture. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "O Substituto" ("The Substitute")