Detachment
{5/5} “I understand you are angry. I used to be very angry too.”
Detachment, released in 2012
Adrien Brody plays Henry, a substitute teacher who tries to keep a detachment from all the people in his life. But he’s a great teacher, and as the kids at the school he’s at become attached to him he also becomes attached to them. Henry’s father left when he was young and his mother committed suicide — and his grandfather now has Alzheimer’s.
As Henry says, everyone has not-so-nice things they’re dealing with. But maybe you can help someone else along the way. Henry tries to help Erica, a girl who’s a prostitute living on the street, by giving her a place to stay.
If you didn’t realize before that Brody was a great actor you’ll know after watching this movie. There are many big-name actors playing small parts in this movie — they likely wanted to work with Brody. James Caan, Christina Hendricks, Lucy Liu, Blythe Danner, Marcia Gay Harden, and Tim Blake Nelson all play teachers and Bryan Cranston plays a teacher’s husband. Sami Gayle (Nicky in the TV show Blue Bloods) plays Erica. The movie was directed by Tony Kaye (American History X).
The movie demonstrates starkly some of the issues that teachers face on a daily basis. And issues that students face as well.
It’s a pretty serious movie — don’t watch it when you’re looking for a comedy.