Movie Review: Detachment (2011)

It is about an educator and the school where he works which are both on the verge of collapse in this hard-hitting drama from director Tony Kaye. The film was released on 2011 and several months after it was released it gained lot of recognition from the various award giving bodies in the world at the 37th Deauville American Film Festival in France, 24th Tokyo International Film Festival and the 35th São Paulo International Film Festival. The movie was about 2 hours long and is a suspense-drama film which tells something about academic issues in America. It is about Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody) who is a gifted teacher whose psyche has been taking a beating -- he still bears emotional scars from his mother's drunken tirades while he was a child, and he's been forced to look after his grandfather (Louis Zorich) as he dies a slow, painful death. Henry has become a substitute teacher rather than fully commit himself to his students, but his latest assignment takes him to a high school where the building is in sad shape and the staff are faring no better. The principal, Carol Dearden (Marcia Gay Harden), is dealing with an unsupportive school board and a hostile husband (Bryan Cranston), Mr. Wiatt (Tim Blake Nelson) is being driven to the edge of a nervous breakdown, Mr. Seaboldt (James Caan) is too cynical to care about his work anymore, and guidance counselor Dr. Parker (Lucy Liu) spends more time insulting the students than helping them. As Barthes struggles to find a reason to continue, two troubled kids break through his wall of ennui -- Meredith (Betty Kaye), an overweight student who is a target for bullies among the students and staff, and Erica (Sami Gayle), a 15-year-old who has sex for money and is used as a punching bag by those around her. The film was set into an academic setting, a high school in America. It takes place in the modern era because the issues tackled in the story are more on the problems the American facing today. It was not directly stated in the film though. The conflict in the story is when people started to like Henry for his personality. As an audience, I can see two conflicts in the film; the first one is when Henry decided to send Erica, the girl whom he just have seen in the streets, to the home of fostered children and the second one is when Meredith confessed something to his substitute teacher.

The film is about the American academic issues about students and teachers. The main themes of the film are the American academic culture and adopting into the needs and problems of students at high school.

The atmosphere of the film is sad. The settings, the music and the way the actors express energy is more on melancholic. There are sorrows that you can feel from each and every characters of the story. The movie is fast in terms of the transitions of the scenes. The lightning in the film was quite old-fashioned; perhaps it is related to the themes of the story or the atmosphere of the movie. A lot of the scenes were shot with darkness. There is also a frequent zooming in of the lenses to the characters while they are speaking and while they are doing something. The camera always moves a lot during the scenes. The phasing of the scenes in the film was quite bad and you can easily notice the rough transitions. On the other hand, the music of the film was good. It was effective to release all the emotions in the scenes. There are many music used in the film but sound effects is quite less numerous. The mood in the film was also molded through the sounds used. The music used is somehow slow but sometimes the beat is getting fast making it a suspense-drama movie.

It was a good film. I would recommend it for those students finding a good corpus for film analysis. I would also recommend it to the general viewers. It is not only a film for entertainment but it is full of emotions, learning and realization about American culture. One of the scenes I like in the film is when Erica, the teenage girl, started to change her perspectives in life. Her mind was illumined by Henry. Among the scenes that I cannot forget in the movie is when Meredith ate the black cupcake then the next happening made a very shocking ending. That scene was superbly made and the suspense was really striking the audience. This film had a difference into other films in terms of the characterization. It was effectively shown in the film how reach characters played a crucial role in the story. Each scenes and characters is explaining an important issue in relation to its theme. 

The American culture was shown in the film. It shows a unique characteristic of a particular culture. Of course, this focused on the academic aspect of their living involving he students, teachers, the academic institutions and the parents as well. It shows a more independent way of living for those students. The movie was set into a private institution where parents are expecting to give the service that they need in exchange f the right cost that they are paying. Parents are expecting a lot from the teachers and the academic institution itself. However, the problem showed in the story is that the parents that are supposed to guide their children as they grow up were not able to do their tasks well. There is a part in the story where Henry said, “There must be a curriculum that will teach students how to be parents.” 

It was evident in one the movie where a student was rudely behaving the office and beat one of his classmates. A person from the school’s admin was talking with the parent but the parent uttered that the reason why his son was acting that way is that because he was not getting the right service from him. There is a problem on how to handle responsibility between the parents and the teachers. Due to much independence in their lives, the students are not taken care of and have no direction in life.

Another part of the story also showed another representation, when the school conducted “Parents’ night”. Nobody attended the event that was supposed to be very important to know their children’s needs.

It was shown in the film that one of the most delicate period of a person’s life is their high school stage. This is the stage where students are developing every aspect of their thinking, behavior and perspectives in life. It must not be neglected and must be given proper respond to each individual need of the students. 

There is a character in the story, the teenage girl named Erica that represented a kind if teenage person whose life was destroyed and then redirected into good pathway in efforts of Henry. The same story goes with Meredith, she just lives alone (it was not directly stated though). We can also say that she is a kind of introvert person. She doesn't have anyone to talk with. One common denominator from the two girls is that they are both seeking for attention and inspiration in life that they eventually see in the personality of Henry. They need someone who gives importance to them, a person who will guide them continuously. The stage that they are in was implicitly described in the film as a very crucial stage that must be given enough time and patience to taken care of. If the people that are supposed to comply into this responsibility will fail to do it, they will resort into worst decisions, most unfortunately is just to raise their white flags and commit suicide.

One thing I also commend about this film is the teacher’s management of students’ behavior and learning ways. The film showed various ways how to handle the worst students in a class or in a school generally. Different teachers have their own strategies on teaching students, not only about the knowledge that they need to learn in the classroom but also the behavior and attitude that they need to acquire as they grow up. Students have different backgrounds and way of coping up into academic problems.

For example, in a one situation in the movie when Henry first entered the class there was one student who was disrespectful but Henry didn't treat it as a problem but just let the student decide if he wants to attend the course or not. The way he also handles that class with so many rude students was seen uniquely in the movie. He tried to assess with each individual students and observed their skills, eventually adopting a strategy into it. He was not too serious in the class but just applying the lesson into daily experiences that the student might also experience. 

Another example, when the guidance counselor advised one student that she must not wear clothes that shows her body explicitly into the people. The girl was too rude that it was hard to make her believe that wearing that kind of cloth is bad for her. The guidance counselor talk with her in a way that will make the student realize what she did was wrong. He let the student see an internal part of a woman with gonorrhea. Then the girl refused to see it. The guidance counselor emphasized that if she also wants to be respected, she should not let other people let her private parts. Eventually, the student agreed and got the jacket that was given by the guidance counselor. 

The story gives the viewers idea of how American high school students are facing in that stage of life. It gives a revelation of what necessities are to be filled into those students. Prior to my knowledge, I know that Americans are really independent as they grow older. I know that a lot their parents are not giving much importance to their children because they are giving their children much of liberty and time to decide for themselves. However, the idea that a lot of the student encounters some problems and it is going like a mental disorder is one thing that strikes me a lot. I have realized as an audience how do American at this stage of life in an academic setting release and make it as their extension of their problems. 

As English major who will be teaching in the future I have thought of this idea that in an academic institution, a teacher must expect a lot differences when it comes to the students’ needs. The teacher must comply into it efficiently. Keen observation is a requisite to apply all the strategies that teacher should to upon teaching students. There are a lot of things to consider when you want a student to learn efficiently depending on their abilities and learning styles. The way students, parents, teacher, academic institutions responds to each and everyone’s needs reflects what kind of culture a specific society possesses. 

SYNOPSIS OF THE FILM:
The story is about Henry Barthe who is a person who is high school teacher. He entered in a school as a substitute teacher where a lot of student where having trouble. He started the film narrating the whole story and time by time it goes back to the narration while the situations where showed interchangeably. Henry was welcomed by the principal of the school. Troubles were showed in the first part as Henry entered the school. He had problems with some of his students who are disrespectful but still he was able to manage it well. One student in his class showed enthusiasm whose name is Martha. She is a fat student who was interested to his substitute teacher, Henry.

As he stayed in the school for several days, Henry had known his colleagues well. There are two of his colleagues who are always facing students for guidance counseling, one of the two is Mr. (insert name here) and the other one is Ms. (insert name here). His colleagues were evidently exhaustedly doing their jobs as teachers in the school. Aside from daily works, they need to face the reality of handling barbaric students. Each colleague has their own problems as well in their lives. One of his colleagues named Mr. (insert name here) hah this own habit of going to the school ground, holding the metal fences of the school and staying there for several hours. This is his way of running out from stress. They all have their own way handling the situations.

One day, Henry was called by the hospital, from which his grandfather was confined. His grandfather doesn’t want to open the comfort room’s door and always calling for his daughter, Patricia (Henry’s mother). He usually visits his grandfather in the hospital who is also suffering from the memories he had encountered from his daughter (Henry’s mother) who was latter revealed in the film that committed suicide and left Henry alone in the provision of his grandfather. Henry yelled to the personnel in the accepting lobby to do their job well by complying with each of their patients’ needs. He yelled that they must take off the lock in the comfort room so that the next time his grandfather will be locked in room, there will no problems.

One night, Henry took a bus on his way home. A teenager who dresses like a prostitute followed him as he went down from the bus. She is offering for a paid service but Henry rejected and insisted the teenage girl to go home. The night passed and the teenage girl went out the scene but in the next nights on Henry’s way home, she is still waiting for him and one night she said she was hungry so Henry welcomed her in his home. Henry treated her well, gave her clothes, let her took a shower and let her sleep in his bed. The teenage girl was quite amazed by the respect Henry showed to her. She was able to stay in Henry’s unit for several days for her temporary shelter but unfortunately she fell in love with Henry. On the other hand, Henry didn't honor her feelings. Henry believes that she was only a girl and he is just giving her necessities. Still, the teenage girl insisted to Henry that she must not be treated that way. She cooks breakfast for Henry before he goes to work.

Henry still had a good relationship with his colleagues and it continues. He began to notice some differences. Just like in the personality of the guidance counselor, Mr. (insert name here) he compared Mr. (insert name here) to himself on handling the students. Mr.(insert name here) is far way more humorous that him. He was able to give student their counseling in a way that they will not talk seriously but in a more casual conversation and with humor. On the other hand, Henry is a very serious person. One night, he had a dinner with one of his co-teachers whose name is Ms. (insert name here). She is a pretty teacher among his colleagues. He had time to go out with her and talk about their backgrounds in life. Eventually, before they part ways that night he kissed Ms. (insert name here). It started something intimate between their relationships as coworkers but it didn't continue. During the same night he went home late and the teenage girl who is living in his house was quite jealous because at the same night the teenage girl prepared a dinner at home.

One of his students named Martha, a fat girl whose hobby is taking picture seems to be very interested to her new substitute teacher. She used to take pictures of the vicinity in the school. One afternoon, she entered a classroom where Henry was staying after the class. She gave an envelope to him. Henry opened the envelope and it contains a picture of him in a classroom, it was an edited picture where his face was smudged. Martha confessed that she fell something special for her teacher. Unfortunately, Henry rejected a more serious talk about this infatuation and Martha got upset. She cried, she yelled and still showed her feeling to Henry. Henry hugged Martha and made her calm but Martha can’t help herself. On the other hand Ms. (insert name here) took a glance at the door, and she thought that Henry was doing something together with Martha. Henry got upset and also yelled to his co-teacher for thinking it the wrong way. Martha gets out of the room.

Another burden made Henry feel more sadness when his grandfather died.

One morning, Henry talked to the teenage girl and he confronted her that she can’t live together with him. Personnel from the social welfare for abandoned children came in the house and get the teenage girl together with them. The teenage girl was really disappointed about Henry’s decision yet she still reminds Henry that she really love him.

The day came that Henry needs to bid goodbye to his students, that will be his last day in school as the substitute teacher. A permanent teacher will come the next day. The class expressed their. One morning, there are different booths in the school. It’s like a fair in the school. Martha, the fat student, prepared a lot of cookies with a smile design on it. Henry saw a cookie with a sad face design on it. He asked for that cookie but Martha refused to give it, she said that it’s for her. Henry just ignored the black cookie and he then bids goodbye to Martha, reminisced some memory and took the opportunity to apologize. Martha just smiled and seems to be not affected and just also said goodbye to him. Henry turned his back off from Martha. Martha had all of the memories flashed from her mind. She cried while eating the black cookie. Martha’s face turned red and blood comes out from her skin. She fell down to the ground and a lot of people look at her. Henry came nearer to Martha and helped her. He realized that Martha due his rejection attempted suicide but yes she did. Martha thinks of all the memories while she was felling to the ground and she uttered in a recorded video that “They say suicide is only a temporary answer from all the problems.” Then a group of police and ambulance helped her.

Henry was reading a poem into the class at the latter part but as he reads the poem the vicinity of the school was shown full of trashes. Then, the last scene was, he was reading the poem in the abandoned school that he worked before.