Greetings,
I'm not certain, but I'd probably place bets on the idea that "Teacher Films" is an official genre. I have seen quite a few movies that deal with teachers and students and schools, some funny, some uplifting, some depressing, some...all of those things. And that might make you venture to think that we have enough of them. Well, I've seen some that make me think we do, but then, I find a really good one that makes me want even more. Such is the case with the film, Detachment.
Detachment is a 2011 movie directed by Tony Kaye and starring Adrien Brody as Henry Barthes, a substitute teacher at a very flawed school. Oh, which ones aren't these days? Anyway, can I say that I love Adrien Brody. He is just a delight, and frankly, I think this is his best performance ever. Yes, even more than that other one that got him some award. You know to what I am referring? But, I don't know, I guess I just have a thing for teachers who try to reach their students, no matter how difficult it is. And in this film, it very much is. Still, that is not the only thing with which he is struggling to do. During the time frame of the film, which I believe is about a month, there is so much happening to him and around him that it is practically overwhelming.
In regards to Henry's life, he has a connection of sorts at school with a fellow teacher, played by Christina Hendricks, as well as with a student, played by Betty Kaye, who happens to be the director's daughter. Relax, though. Whether or not nepotism had anything to do with that casting, she did a great job, so who cares? In the meantime, he's coping with his ailing grandfather, his memories of a tragic childhood and a young prostitute, played by Sami Gayle, who he tries to take care of by way of becoming a kind of surrogate father figure. So, to say that he's dealing with quite a few things would be a understatement, but watching his journey through all of it is fascinating and heartbreaking.
Actually, though Brody's Henry is the central character, there are many others with many other stories, and thankfully, they've got a pretty decent cast to carry it all out. We've got the likes of William Peterson, Blythe Danner, James Caan...Oh, speaking of him, there is one scene where he shows a young girl a picture of something and it's a bit...off-putting, to say the least. So, heads up on that one. And for me to be giving that kind of warning in a movie that deals with some seriously harsh issues, you know I'm being serious. Moving on. We also have Marcia Gay Harden portraying the principal, who is realizing that things are beginning to fall apart for her, and Lucy Liu, as the school counselor, who is struggling with trying to get through to the students, which is inching her closer to her personal edge. Both of these women are phenomenal in these highly emotional, yet believable roles.
So, yes, there is quite a lot going on here, but that's the thing about this film. Technically, it is about teachers and students and school, but if you look deeper, it's about so many of these people being lost in their own individual way and trying to figure out what is happening within themselves and in the world in which they are made to live. They're either looking for a way out or looking for a way to fix things or even both. Frankly, I think if you look passed this being "just another high school movie", which it is not, you can see the stories that are truly being told. And how difficult it is to hear them.
In the end, I would recommend Detachment. Obviously, I think it's worth a watch just for the performances, especially Adrien Brody. And while it is hard to watch at times, as I mentioned, it is certainly a film that can affect you in a very profound way. I'd say that, in this time where movies rarely do that anymore, or even try to do that, what you can get out of this movie is extremely welcome.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
