Disconnect

I have not seen a movie like "Disconnect" in a long while. It has this style of telling about the lives of various different seemingly unconnected characters working up to one common story that intertwines all of them together. A decade ago, this style was very popular. This was first brought to prominence by the acclaimed Mexican movie "Amores Perros", and then we saw it in "Traffic", "21 Grams", culminating in the Oscar Best Picture Award given to "Crash." "Disconnect" brings us back to those days when complex intersecting story lines ruled the cinemas.

"Disconnect" leads us into the lives of four characters and their families. What all of them have in common is that they all have been a victim of some sort of Internet crime and abuse. The start of the film was very discomforting to watch. We witness how various internet chat sites can be so dangerous. This is true whatever the nature of this chat site is, whether this is a private pornographic live chat room or a support group chat room for bereaved families. We will see sexual exploitation, bullying, fraud, identity theft, and various other internet crimes in action. We will also see the adverse effects these crimes have on the victims and their loved ones.

The actors were all very good in their roles. I recognize a few of them. Jason Bateman (from "Horrible Bosses") is the busy lawyer whose introverted son was bullied at school. Paula Patton (from "Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol") is a lonely neglected wife who confides her problems on a chat room with someone who could have just stolen all their money. Andrea Riseborough (from "Oblivion") is a television journalist determined to go up in her profession even if it would cause problems to the young man who granted her the interview which would land her on CNN. The other young actors playing the bully, the bullied, and the sex site boy toy all gave memorable performances as well.

The pace of the movie is slow, and I think this was deliberate to make us feel how insidious these crimes can be. They can be happening to us without us ever knowing about it, until the consequences hit us squarely on the face. The director makes us of very dramatic camera angles and apt visual effects to emphasize his points. The editing done was very effective to create an intense feeling of dread and tension. Despite the PG rating given this film locally, the topic of the film is very adult, as well as the treatment, with scenes of nudity, sex, drugs and violence.

This is a very serious and very thought-provoking film for this Internet Age we are in right now. In our obsession to remain connected to our virtual world on our favorite social media sites, are we actually being disconnected from our very own families, and other flesh and blood people around us? A must-see for all netizens. Highly recommended. 8/10

The movie "DISCONNECT", clearly and dramatically depicts how our culture is now well-woven into the INTERNET fabric of reality. It is an intelligent and skillfully done film. The script is competent and well sculpted, with three simultaneous stories,but the final wrap-up scenes were (story-wise)oddly unbelievable, canned, pre-made, or "off the shelf" for lack of a better term.

There is a large percentage of the population(i.e.my wife and I) that are not fully in tune (or dependent) on the current, internet-laced way of life, but I felt this movie effectively plugged us into understanding and relating to it.

Although the film resides in the Arts & Entertainment category, it also can be perceived as a valuable, cinematographic core-sample of the current culture and society,in ways that "Easy Rider", "The Best days of our lives", and others movies have done in the past.

It shows the"now"of our culture and society in humanistic, suspenseful, and moving ways.

I highly recommend seeing the film if you have the time.

I have watched this movie 3 or 4 times and it is gripping. Now, in 2023, the core of this seems like it should be old news, the awareness of just how dangerous and delicate online living should be second nature to understand it is virtual, not real, yet real people are involved in and they all have their stories. The drama of this one involves several overlapping lives, connected but not and deals with some very real things that are happening in society. I cannot go into it or it won't be a surprise, but this is a heavy movie to watch. Actors played their roles really, really well directed well, great dialogue, serious emotion going on.

I've never heard or seen anything about DISCONNECT, glad I gave it a chance !

Already after a few minutes it became clear, this is not just another Saturday night movie u sit through. The way the stories are interwoven felt natural, smart, logical and very uneasy. All of them had a vibe of foreboding. That things won't end well ... Good Intentions turned slowly but surely upside down. Secrets created havoc, lies ruined life's - all connected through the internet and our personal or artificial bonds. I'd label it thriller, due to the intense atmosphere it manages to create but after all, it's a powerful and upmost relevant tale of our current society and interaction with each other. A pity it did not receive the buzz it deserves.

Why hasn't this movie been raved about? One of the best I have seen in a long time. Don't even think it got a cinema release in Australia. This is the sort of movie that should have Oscar nominations and a must see. An ensemble cast and all are outstanding. Jason Bateman is such an under rated actor but can just about do anything, probably hurt by Arrested Development although I must admit I did like that show. If you liked movies like Crash you should enjoy this. 3 stories going on at the same time which also have some intermingling, if there is such a word. IMDb rating is a bit low and I would rate it in the high 8's even getting close to a 9. Have banged on a bit as I didn't realize you needed to submit 10 lines of text to post a review/comment.