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"The three stories converge
melodramatically in the movie’s final minutes. The
tightness with which the strands are drawn makes
Disconnect unsettling to watch as its characters and
vignettes jostle one another like riders in a jammed
subway car. The film ominously conveys a world of too
much information but too little communication, where
people have become slaves to glowing hand-held devices
that were designed to make life easier but have made it
busier and more complicated." ...Stephen
Holden, NY Times
"Although there are narrative issues with at least two
of the three stories in Disconnect, the movie got
its hooks into me. Its message isn't ground-breaking but
it crystalizes concerns that many people have about
living in a world where interpersonal communication
often becomes impersonal communication."
...James Berardinelli, Reel Views
"Moving, smart and troubling, this
ensemble piece is directed by Henry-Alex Rubin from a
script by Andrew Stern. For his first dramatic feature
after directing the award-winning documentary
Murderball in 2005, Rubin assembled a first-rate
cast in a contemporary drama about the tension between
virtual and visceral communication... The prevalence of
online chatting enables Disconnect to vividly dramatize
the paradoxical relationship between anonymity and
intimacy." ...Annette Insdorf, Huffington
Post
"The film’s implicit warnings are
neither hysterical nor pat. Rubin simply poses difficult
questions, using his carefully honed drama as a
springboard for critical thought about the brave new
virtual world we inhabit. With intelligence, empathy,
and the aid of a first-rate cast, Rubin fashions a
powerful vision of our increasingly interconnected
world—and proves himself as adept with fiction as he is
with non-fiction." ...Jane
Schoettle, Toronto International Film Festival
"Working from a powerful,
authentic-sounding and moving script by Andrew Stern,
director Henry Alex Rubin does a masterful job of laying
out the case in each story so we can understand how all
these smart people can make such dumb decisions and act
in such a reckless manner while pecking away at
keyboards of various sizes. Everywhere we turn in this
film, there is strong acting." ...Film critic
Richard Roeper
"You can view Disconnect as a
cautionary tale or simply become engaged with it as a
superior piece of storytelling. Either way, it’s well
worth seeing." ...Leonard Maltin,
IndieWire
"Handsomely shot and judiciously
edited, the film benefits from a superlative cast...
Disconnect takes its deserved place within a
time-honored genre. Even at its most staged and false,
the anxieties it conveys are deep, real and worth
expressing. ...Ann Hornaday, The
Washington Post
"With the help of the gifted
cinematographer Ken Seng, Rubin brings a documentarian's
precision to each scene and his own keen instinct for
reality and nuance. How a new director works with actors
is telling, and the performances in Disconnect
are first-rate all the way." ...Peter Travers,
Rolling Stone
Comparisons to Paul Haggis’ 2004 Los
Angeles race-drama Crash will be inevitable – but
are not wholly unfair. In many ways, Murderball
director Henry Alex Rubin and newcomer writer Andrew
Stern have crafted a very similar film; but whereas
Crash was heavy-handed in its overt (and contrived)
discussions and examinations of race and race-relations,
Disconnect opts for a more restrained approach,
crafting believable characters and situations that are
able to organically produce and solicit the types of
discussion-points and/or reactions the filmmakers are
clearly shooting for." ...Kofi Outlaw,
Screen Rant
"Disconnect 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 story that will leave you
shaken and stirred." ...Film critic Marshall
Fine
"Director Henry Alex Rubin embellishes the visuals with
an inventive use of bold graphic design for the instant
message dialogue that takes place between characters.
Voyeurism becomes an interactive-like encounter for the
viewer. An image system involving the camera viewing its
subjects at various distances through windows and fences
adds to a suspenseful sense of constant surveillance. In
addition, cinematographer Ken Seng uses a combination of
documentary and straight narrative camera techniques to
keep the viewer on edge." ...Film critic
Cole Smithey
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