There's no doubt that the Internet and social networking have impacted our lives in both positive and negative ways. We're now a more informed society than we ever have been, with access to information ready at the simple click of a button. We're also more connected than ever, and the world has never seemed like a smaller place because of it. But at the same time, what has bound us together also has the potential to tear us apart. The irony of the phrase "social" media is fairly obvious, and the dangers of so much personal information traveling around the web lurk at every turn. Disconnect aims to warn us of the Internet's many dangers, while also exploring the detrimental impact it's had on simple human interaction. It's a great subject, and would have been a meaningful, relevant story if it came out five years ago.
Henry Alex Rubin, director of the great wheelchair rugby documentary Murderball, appears to be drawing inspiration from overrated Best Picture winner Crash, at least in terms of technique. Unfortunately, he and screenwriter Alex Stern are also burdened by many of its faults, namely a vast array of underdeveloped characters and a shallow examination of the core concept. There are three major stories here, all featuring great actors playing characters whose lives intertwine in predictable ways. Touching on all of the trendy Internet red flags we're all aware of, such as cyber-bullying, online fraud, and...*gasp*...cyber sex...there's no doubt the film has the best of intentions, even if it feels a little like an afterschool special.
Two of the three plot threads show a lot of promise before they go completely off the rails. Jason Bateman plays Rich, a big-time corporate lawyer whose son (Jonah Bobo) is the victim of a cruel Internet prank perpetrated by Jason (Colin Ford), whose father (Frank Grillo) happens to be a computer security expert. Posing as a girl and gaining the boy's trust, Jason convinces him to pose for some nude photos, which he promptly posts to everybody in school. When his son suddenly attempts suicide, Rich goes looking for the cause and must reflect on his lack of communication with his son may have contributed.
Meanwhile, Cindy and Derek (Paula Patton and Alexander Skarsgard) are a married couple, estranged ever since the death of a child. A former soldier, he's learned to suffer in silence, keeping Cindy at a distance. Unable to turn to him for comfort, she turns to an online chat room, where she puts her trust in the wrong person. In the most ludicrous story, an ambitious news reporter (Andrea Riseborough), attempts to expose the web cam sex trade by befriending an 18-year old cam model (Max Thierot) who will do anything online for a quick buck.
As one would expect, a good number of the conversations take place over the computer or via texting, which bogs down what little momentum the film can muster. Rubin appears to be a solid director when it comes to managing a fairly large ensemble, and he gets some terrific performances out of Bateman and Ford. They share one of the story's most complicated scenes as Rich reaches out through Facebook to the girl his son had been chatting with, not realizing it's actually Jason on the other end. Patton and Skarsgard also do solid work and make for a believable pair struggling with perhaps one problem too many for their fragile relationship to withstand. On the other hand, Riseborough, who can also be seen this week in Oblivion opposite Tom Cruise, is all wrong for her role. Or perhaps it's that she's forced to share the screen with Thierot, who has all the personality of a mouse pad.
Perhaps recognizing just how much of an overwrought drag the film has been, each story devolves into a whirl of unbelievable violence and ludicrous coincidence. It shows a lack of faith in the material, and with Stern's pedestrian screenplay the concern is justified. Despite feeling like a dated old relic, Disconnect could have made a significant statement on today's Internet culture, but it's not saying anything we can't log in and find for ourselves.
