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Disconnect | 3.5/5

I went into this film without any expectations, but only because films with interwoven stories and an ensemble cast can spell disaster. Remember the Razzie-worthy Movie 43 earlier this year that bombed spectacularly at the box-office?

Disconnect explores the wired world we live in and how disconnected we can be even though everyone is connected

Disconnect explores the wired world we live in and how disconnected we can be even though everyone is connected

I went into this film without any expectations, but only because films with interwoven stories and an ensemble cast can spell disaster. Remember the Razzie-worthy Movie 43 earlier this year that bombed spectacularly at the box-office?

Directed by Henry Alex Rubin (Murderball), Disconnect is thankfully nothing like it’s title. Rather, the film is an engaging social commentary with a rather straightforward message on how technology has alienated human connections with its false sense of intimacy.

Disconnect opens with Nina (Andrea Riseborough), a novice news reporter who befriends a misguided sex-cam performer, Kyle (Max Thieriot), for her career-making expose. Marc Jacobs (yes, the fashion designer behind Louis Vuitton and his eponymous label) also makes his acting debut as a believable pimp running this sex-cam trade.

The second — and the most compelling — arc sees Jason (Colin Ford) and Frye (Aviad Bernstein) as two malicious high-school boys who impersonate a girl in an online chat with Ben (Jonah Bobo), and convince him to send them a lewd picture. The picture goes viral and his father (Jason Bateman) is determined to find out his son’s tormenter.

The last vignette has Derek (Alexander Skarsgard) and Cindy (Paula Patton) as an estranged couple grappling with the death of their baby. Derek finds solace gambling online while Cindy finds support through online chat rooms, though the couple is forced to reconnect after their bank accounts are hacked.

First-time screenwriter Andrew Stern is notably impressive in weaving three different, and at times overlapping stories into a coherent and humanising narrative. Characters are sharply observed, developed and brought to life by the nuanced performances of its strong ensemble cast. Bateman is an obvious standout as the absentee parent, Thieriot is charismatic and Riseborough redeems herself from her painfully flat performance in Oblivion.

Stern also competently handles the issues of identity theft, fraud cases, privacy issues, cyberbullying and the growing availability of porn for the underaged. And does so with sensitivity, effectively illustrating just how wired and convoluted the world wide web has become. Sure, it may feel didactic and melodramatic at times, but believability is not compromised. The cathartic climax is also worth your patience as the film converges dramatically in its final act.

While Disconnect is nothing like Crash (2004), the film still engages effectively as a cautionary tale, especially in this wired age where we simply can’t resist checking our phones when we’re having our meals. Or when we’re watching movies. But perhaps you might change your mind when watching this.

(M18, 115 mins)

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