“Disconnect” is in the “Crash”/ “Nashville”/ “Short Cuts” school of story-telling, bringing together three disparate storylines that ultimately provide echoes and resonance between themselves, while involving people of tangential connection.
But in Henry-Alex Rubin’s film, from Andrew Stern’s script, the connections – or the way they’re made – is the point. In that respect, “Disconnect,” opening in limited release Friday (4/12/13), is exciting, disturbing and provocative. With its look at our everyday interactions – and the way our lives have been taken over by devices meant to help us communicate but which do the opposite – it’s a cautionary tale that will leave you shaken and stirred.
Still, to call it a tech thriller is to miscommunicate what it is about. While technology is the enabler is this story about human vulnerability and cruelty, it is not the villain. It is not even the decider.
Rather, it is merely the vehicle, the distraction into which the characters channel their energy, each in a different way.
This review continues on my website.