We Should All Disconnect Every Once In A While

Directed by Henry Alex Rubin

Written by Andrew Stern

Starring Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Frank Grillo, Alexander Skarsgard, Paula Patton, Andrea Riseborough, Max Theriot, Jonah Bobo, Colin Ford and Michael Nyquvst

R, 115 minutes

The pervasive reaches of everyday technological appliances have been a relatively new phenomenon into our lives. What kind of effects can that have on the way people interact with each other and to what extent can certain themes and motifs otherwise commonly used in stories be updated to match the times? This question is answered in this year’s criminally under-seen drama/thriller hybrid Disconnect, a movie that feels so of the moment that I will use those string of words to describe it even if I shudder to do so (despite the fact I have used those exact words in the past upon describing my anticipation towards Spike Jonze’s Her).

The movie follows three separate storylines that intersperse at various points but cover different aspects of the aforementioned theme. Intrepid reporter Nina Dunham (Andrea Riseborough), who may use people more than she likes to admit, does a story on a boy named Kyle (Max Theriot), who works as an exhibitionist via online webcams and faces the repercussions when the story goes nationwide. A married couple (Paula Patton and Alexander Skarsgard) find themselves bankrupt when the wife’s online chat room friend turns out to be a hacker and robs them blind. Two young boys, under the guise of a fake Facebook profile, harass a kid until he makes a rash act and his father (Jason Bateman) desperately tries to figure out why.

Each story is perfectly crafted in such a way that neither of them on its own feels like a weak link as the movie progresses with each performance pulling its respective weight. Some of it does come across as a little manipulative but it grabs you by the throat so much that it is hard to take issue with this particular aspect.

As is, Disconnect is essentially a three-pronged cautionary tale as to the dangers of placing too much emphasis on our “inter-connected” lifestyle and not enough on what’s right in front of us. It’s not a relatively new message, but it’s an essential one that takes shape throughout the narrative of one of the best films I’ve seen all year.

3.5/4

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