Detachment

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Detachment

2012

1h 37m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

69 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody) is a substitute teacher who shuns emotional connections, and never stays long enough in one district to bond with his students or colleagues. Troubled and lost, Henry lands at a public school where an apathetic student body and disinterested parents have created a frustrated, burned-out group of teachers and administrators. Inadvertently, Henry becomes a role model to his disaffected students and bonds with a teenage runaway who is just as lost as he is.

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Critics Consensus

Detachment's heart is in the right place, but overall it doesn't offer any solutions to its passionate ranting.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 8, 2017

A

A gripping drama, Detachment offers a gut-wrenching look at the school system, as told by the unsung heroes--the teachers.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Jul 15, 2012

3/5

Detachment has such original energy and is so infused with righteous anger that it proves hard to dismiss.

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Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Jul 13, 2012

1/5

Grappling with the dilapidation of America's school system is fair enough, but the movie is painfully undone by its pretentious poetry of despair.

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Sonia Zadurian

CineVue

Jan 26, 2019

3/5

Detachment clearly has high aspirations, but unfortunately its jumbled narration means that it falls just shy of the mark.

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PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

Jan 8, 2019

3/5

Tony Kaye's ragged, expressionistic aesthetic may have its detractors but it intuitively suits the wrought scenario of Detachment.

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Neely Swanson

Easy Reader (California)

Sep 18, 2017

This is imitation Polanski, and not a good imitation at that.

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Justin V

@RT95353794 2 days ago

this is my fourth favorite movie of all time and this movie was incredible Adrien. Brody gave an amazing performance and this movie just hit different to me. It was definitely one of the most depressing movies I’ve ever seen and I think that’s why I loved it.

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Monica G

@monagrando Sep 2, 2026

I liked the characters and thought it was very moving.

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Peeyush S

@RT14172489 Aug 15, 2026

Such a different perspective of lives! This is to touching movie.

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Cedrik N

@Cedrik.N Jul 26, 2026

For me it's a hard movie to really understand and enjoy. At the same time I like the way the movie is shot. I also like the actors Adrien Brody is a great actor.

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Frank R.

@RT14582405 Jun 7, 2026

Best scenes were in the classroom.

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Janet W.

@designaire Jun 5, 2026

I thought it was good. It showed struggling kids and teachers. The substitute tries to help but has mixed success. There isn’t a definite resolution except that the school system is failing. The substitute is going through his own feeling of isolation which he explains between different scenes. Acting is good.

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Tony Kaye

Director

Adrien Brody

Henry Barthes

Marcia Gay Harden

Carol Dearden

James Caan

Mr. Seaboldt

Christina Hendricks

Ms. Madison

Lucy Liu

Dr. Parker

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Synopsis

Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody) is a substitute teacher who shuns emotional connections, and never stays long enough in one district to bond with his students or colleagues. Troubled and lost, Henry lands at a public school where an apathetic student body and disinterested parents have created a frustrated, burned-out group of teachers and administrators. Inadvertently, Henry becomes a role model to his disaffected students and bonds with a teenage runaway who is just as lost as he is.

Director: Tony Kaye
Producer: Austin Stark, Benji Kohn, Chris Papavasiliou, Bingo Gubelmann, Greg Shapiro, Carl Lund
Screenwriter: Carl Lund
Distributor: Tribeca Film
Production Co: Paper Street Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 16, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $71.2K
Runtime: 1h 37m

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