CliqueClackDisconnect is a muddled and emotionally distressing look at modern technology
‘Disconnect’ aches to be an important tale of technology gone awry, but it’s just kind of hard to watch.
Technology is now a part of our lives and most likely will be that forever, unless there’s a massive societal collapse. Can’t rule anything out, of course. But the same fears about technology also have been around forever: it makes things impersonal, it will ruin society, people will be victimized, etc. Morality tales of technology gone wrong have been around since technology was introduced, from John Henry to The Matrix. Some of it is based on legitimate fears, other times it’s a fear of change. But the real answer is the same as it’s always been: you must accept that change will always happen and find balance in your life. Don’t be consumed by technology nor eschew it entirely. There is another way.
Disconnect is a movie of three movies, two loosely connected, the other not connected at all. One movie is excellent, one is intriguing, the other is just sad. In one, journalist Nina (Andrea Riseborough) tries to learn about online sex workers, getting a bit too close to one in particular — 18 year old Kyle (Max Thieriot). Obviously lines will be crossed and the wonder of technological advancements that led to webcams will be called into question. And perhaps things will get a bit out of hand. In another plot, Cindy and Derek, a couple with a mysterious tragic past (Paula Patton and Alexander Skarsgård), get their identities stolen after utilizing the internet for what ought to be a positive healing process. But the internet is dangerous for the unwary, and it’s dangerous for the couple as they have to decide what do with the info they get from PI Mike (Frank Grillo). In the final plot, the PI has his own issues with his rebellious son Jason (Colin Ford), who’s been bullying classmate Ben (Jonah Bobo) in person and online. Ben is a bit estranged from his father Rich (Jason Bateman), a lawyer who’s always on his electronic devices. Thus we have our theme: Technology leads to disaster. Or to be charitable, careless use of technology.
It’d be more interesting if the plot lines really did connect or were wholly independent pieces, but the movie isn’t quite smart enough to pull that off. But it’s not all bad, not at all. This movie is filled with shockingly good performances, hiding the problems of its very weak script. The Cindy and Derek plot may be the weakest, and the journalism one the silliest, but there are excellent pieces of acting throughout. But man … the plot about the sons and fathers and how easily people can be hurt when you didn’t try to do it … really, it’s almost worth the price of admission. Once you get past the overly simplistic “talk to our kids and don’t use the computer so much” finger wagging morals, there’s a very compelling and affecting story in here. And some stellar performances in particular from Colin Ford and Jonah Bobo.
In summary, this is Jason Bateman in a decent movie about identity theft, but I’m not about to argue about that one again. Find the heart of this movie, past its pretensions and airs to important ideas, and you will find a movie truly worth watching. It may be a bit hard to get through, but it’ll stick with you. For a little while.
One Comment on “Disconnect is a muddled and emotionally distressing look at modern technology”
Disconnect to me is a family movie. Parents should take especially their teens to the movie because it shows what can happen when a so called harmless sexting prank goes horribly wrong. Spoiler alert, as one suicide attempt may be
too disturbing to preteens. I think the movie will be well received because a sexting is todays headline news.