September 14, 2011 05:45PM EDT
Tribeca Film Pickup: Detachment
Did you miss Tony Kaye's "wrenching" new film at TFF 2011? You can catch Adrien Brody's "award-caliber turn" this winter, thanks to the Tribeca Film platform.
In the wake of its sharply resonant World Premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, all US distribution rights to the provocative drama Detachment, directed by Tony Kaye (American History X, Lake of Fire) and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody, were acquired earlier this week by Tribeca Film, which plans an early 2012 release via a multi-city theatrical engagement, running day-and-date with nationwide VOD and digital distribution.
Never shying away from disarmingly relevant themes that prove too dark and unwieldy for popular discussion in the national limelight, Kaye tells the tale of Henry Barthes, a gifted instructor who seeks to preserve his transitory role as a substitute teacher amidst a deteriorating education system in order to avoid any emotional attachment with his students and colleagues. In a role lauded as his “finest performance since The Pianist,” Brody portrays Barthes as a man struggling with his own demons who finds himself becoming the unwilling role model in a public school where an exhausted administration has led to an apathetic student body. But his attempts to remain disconnected soon prove impossible, as his growing friendship with his peers and students, including a runaway teen he takes in from the streets, gives life to a hope he thought impossible. 
Anchored by a grounded performance from Brody and a poignant script by Carl Lund, who spent years as a teacher in the trenches of the LA public school system, Detachment also features a compelling ensemble including Christina Hendricks, Academy Award nominee James Caan, Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden, Lucy Liu, Blythe Danner, Bryan Cranston, and William Petersen. Newcomers Betty Kaye and Sami Gayle also shine.
According to an interview with actor Tim Blake Nelson, who joins the cast as a teacher unraveling at the seams, “Kaye’s taking some wild chances, narratively and aesthetically, with the movie. He combines this madman’s approach to filmmaking with an ability to make you believe in him, that’s almost messianic while it’s occurring.”
Though it has been over a decade since Kaye released American History X, audiences of his new film will discover that the care in which he crafts his characters and the clarity of vision he applies to narrative fiction have continued to evolve. In the director’s own words, “I was personally drawn to make the movie because I wanted to take the character of Henry Barthes and make him universal, make him all of us, and learn myself from that journey.”
“Detachment is a singular experience. Tony Kaye combines a range of filmmaking techniques, terrific ensemble acting and a wonderful lead performance by Adrien Brody,” said Geoffrey Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises. “The film truly demands to be seen; we look forward to bringing it to a wider audience through Tribeca Film.”
Stay tuned to Tribeca Film media (Facebook, Twitter, newsletter) for all the details.
Rate this Blog
