Disconnect follows a collection of fascinating characters: a hard-working lawyer attached to his cell phone yet, can’t find the time to communicate with his family; a couple drawn into a dangerous situation when their secrets are exposed online; a widowed ex-cop struggling to raise a mischievous son who cyber-bullies a classmate; and an ambitious journalist seeing 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.
The internet and social media: blessing or curse? We have never been more connected to each other nor had such accessibility to information. It is a glorious and wonderful thing…right? However, we are pretty much at a point in our society now where most have felt the backlash of the digital age. The discovery of infidelity, the lingering Facebook profile of an ex, stolen personal images or information. We are more connected and in spite of the distances, we have never been more exposed. Disconnect takes a look at a number of ways the internet has opened us up to hurt and it does so in a very engaging way.
The film deals with three story threads that all portray an aspect of the fallout from a digital-related event, they are independent from each other but there is some crossover with characters. The first concerns a pair of kids who play a prank on a schoolmate, creating a fake Facebook girlfriend to set him up for embarrassment. The second involves a young couple Cindy (Paula Patton) and Derek (Alexander Skarsgard) who while mourning the death of their baby and dealing with the damage to their relationship find themselves to be the victims of identity theft; likely from a man Cindy has been talking to in a internet support group. The last piece comes with a reporter Nina (Andrea Riseborough), who is exploring the work of internet sex workers and webcam operators with the intent on writing an exposé of a local ring. She befriends one of these workers (Max Thieriot) and gets caught up in his personal life as well as the interest of the FBI in this case.
The digital world is what brings about these tales and the collisions within the movie but the emotional and personal unravellings are very real. These aren’t far fetched events but rather scenarios that play out every day, and are told with aplomb. It is easy to write off people who fall into such traps but the movie is presented in a natural way, convincingly portraying how each individual falls foul of misplaced trust or someone seeking to take advantage. The ‘disconnect’ of the title also plays to the barrier that is created by technology that is meant to bring us closer together. We lose sight of the ramifications a simple ‘like’ or ‘share’ or ‘comment’ can have in the course of someone’s day or even whole life. Disconnect really does a good job of showing off these scenarios, putting a human face on them and delivering some powerful moments as a result. The escalation of all three stories build towards an intense climax.
There are a few names of note in the cast, Jason Bateman (Arrested Development, Horrible Bosses) delivers a damn solid turn as an attorney and father to the young boy exploited in the Facebook prank. Patton (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) and Alexander Skarsgard (The East, True Blood) are gripping as the couple who have lost a child and are on the brink of losing everything else. The rest of the cast all deliver fine performances with Thieriot’s Kyle being a cocky individual but layered with insecurity and vulnerability. With a premise like this and so many stories up in the air it would have been easy to have a weak link but that is not the case, they are skillfully interwoven and that is a credit to the writer (Andrew Stern), director (Henry Alex Rubin) and an accomplished cast.
So what didn’t I like? The tone of the film sometimes veers into the melodramatic but overall stays pretty focused. The end of the movie brings all three stories to a climax that was very intense and engrossing but I felt ‘pulled it’s punches’ with the final outcomes. Perhaps the intensity preceding it led me down a path expecting a more shocking conclusion but as I sat through the credits I was torn with wondering if it was enough or really was perhaps a more realistic outcome overall.
There was nothing in Disconnect that was really surprising or new but it was very engaging. A solid script, a very well assembled cast at every level and engrossing tales that speak to the increasing folly of our age. It really is a growing concern how the connections in our lives are creating a disconnect and the film does a great job of making you take a pause and think about such things. For anyone hooked on social media or constantly on their smart phone, I suggest switching off everything for a few hours and switching on Disconnect.
The DVD I reviewed had a decent picture transfer and good sound quality although some dialogue in parts was somewhat on the quiet side. The extras were pretty standard fare, a trailer, an interesting behind the scenes documentary, and an audio commentary by the director. More content featuring the cast would have been welcome. The disc also had an Ultraviolet copy which may be of note to some.
Disconnect will be available on Blu-Ray, Video On Demand and Pay-Per-View September 17 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES • “Making the Connections: Behind the Scenes of Disconnect” featurette
• Audio Commentary with Director Henry-Alex Rubin
Originally published at old.cinapse.co on September 17, 2013.