D I S C O N N E C T
Starring:
Jason Bateman
Jason Bateman
Hope
Davis
Frank
Grillo
Andrea
Riseborough
Paula
Patton
Michael
Nyqvist
Alexander
Skarsgard
Max Thieriot
Music: Max
Richter
Editing: Lee
Percy
Produced by: Mickey
Liddell
William Horberg
Jennifer
Hilton
Written by: Andrew
Stern
Directed by: Henry -
Alex Rubin
Released by: LD
Entertainment
Review:
As people were queuing
up to see the Premiere of Man of Steel
in Robinsons Manila, my eyes were transfixed to the title of the movie shown at
Cinema 7….DISCONNECT! The title made
me so curious that I went near the poster and try to see if I knew the actors. True
enough, Jason Bateman is in it. He was
the
PR executive Ray
Embrey saved by the superhero played by Will Smith in the movie Hancock. Other names look familiar. But
my gut was telling me just to buy a ticket and see for myself what the movie is
all about.
Released in April 2013 in the
US, DISCONNECT, an American thriller, is actually in the same genre as CRASH and BABEL. Here, people who don’t seem to be related to each other are
interlinked by a series of events and misfortunes in our highly-technological
world. One would see how this “interlinking” can be a big help and at the same
time a big threat to the personal lives of these somehow “disconnected” people.
Through it, lives of various people are intertwined in such a way that, in my
opinion, the humanity of each character shines through.
Relationship with the help of
the social media is a big thing in this movie, how it is nurtured by it and how
it is ruined by the insensible use of it. You will find a couple who struggles
to relate to each other after the loss of their child a few months back, with
the wife pouring out her aches and pains to a stranger in a support group via
internet; a teenager victimized by bullying as he naively trust his “lady-admirer”
through social media; a detective for cyber-crime who struggles to raise a
teenage son; a journalist who finds her opportunity for a career-break by
interviewing a teenager who works in a chat room. All of them are ordinary
beings that we see around us every day, which by the way could be us, struggling
to become better persons despite our imperfections.
The plot of the movie is simple. It is about interpersonal relationship in an internet age, an age where
everybody, old and young, men and women, can relate to. You will see the
characters’ engagement in the social media with their computers, tablets, and
cellular phones as they go about their daily routines in their working places,
at home, or in school. It tells the life stories of ordinary people, their
struggles, their successes, their dreams, and their means to achieve their
dream. But, I believe that the real strength of the movie is the great acting
of the ensemble cast. Jason Bateman as Rich Boyd, the father of Ben Boyd
(played by Jonah Bobo) who was a victim of bullying, convincingly shows his
“fatherly” ordeal – of trying to find out the truth behind what happened to his
son; Alexander Skarsgard as Derek Hull is so compelling in his relentless
search for their identity thief; Paula Patton as Cindy Hull, the agonizing mother
and wife, shows us her pain even without the use of words, or even just by a
whisper; Max Thieriot, as worker in a chat room, plays his role so believably
that you will see in him the picture of a lost soul drifting passively, and
willingly, to the strong ebb of life; and Andrea Riseborough as Nina Dunham, a
rising-star in the field of journalism, creates a persona of an ambitious
reporter who will then have to suffer much from crossing the line. You have to
see and find out for yourself the great acting of this ensemble cast that makes
this movie a must-see for those who want to leave the theater being taught and convinced
once again what truly matters in life. After reviewing the movie in one’s mind,
one may ask then, “What truly connects us?”
Moreover, I like how the music
is interwoven into emotion-laden scenes, helping you gain an insight on the
power of truth, as the characters have to face it, willingly or unwillingly. I
also give credit to the editor for delicately interweaving the various scenes
that allows you to see their interconnectedness, making each character a strand of fiber
as important as the others in creating the whole tapestry of the human
condition.
I did leave the theater
afterwards with no regret that I did not join the long queue for the Premiere
showing of Man of Steel. Anyway, I can still see the Man of Steel within two weeks. But as
for DISCONNECT, such a pleasure to
see it just in time for the Fathers’ Day celebration on Sunday, June 16. It
made me feel connected to those who matter in my life the most.
Congratulations to Henry-Alex
Rubin for manifesting such captivating directorial skill in every frame of the
movie. It’s the first movie that I saw
by Alex, but I could already tell how gifted he is. I still have to find a copy
of his award-winning documentary film Murderball
(2005).
I recommend this movie to
everyone who values relationship in and through the social media, but most of
all to those who value the person in a relationship, with or without the social
media.
My rating for this movie: 4 1/2 Stars
Legend:
1 Star = Poor (Okay to be missed)
2 - 3 Stars = Good
4 - 4 1/2 Stars = Terrific
5 Stars = Excellent
12th of June, 2013
Philippine Independence Day
