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A hard-working lawyer, attached to his cell phone, can’t find the time to communicate with his family. A couple is drawn into a dangerous situation when their secrets are exposed online. A widowed ex-cop struggles to raise a mischievous son who cyber-bullies a classmate. An ambitious journalist sees a career-making story in a teen that performs on an adult-only site. They are strangers, neighbors and colleagues and their stories collide as they struggle to connect in today’s wired world.
Disconnect is a 2012 American drama film directed by Henry Alex Rubin and stars an ensemble cast, which includes Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Frank Grillo, Andrea Riseborough, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Alexander Skarsgård, and Max Thieriot. The film also marks the acting debut of fashion designer Marc Jacobs.
About the Production (2013)
Andrew Stern’s screenplay elicited immediate enthusiasm from the Disconnect producers. Much like the interwoven yet parallel lives of the characters in the movie, the script made its way to both producers Mickey Liddell and Jennifer Monroe of LD Entertainment as well as producer William Horberg of Wonderful Films.
Not only did the script present a collection of richly drawn characters in dramatic situations that were both riveting and relatable, there was something else about Stern’s story that touched the producers and stirred their imagination: its keen relevance to the times we live in. As it turns out, the movie sprang from Stern’s literal observation of the world around him. The screenplay reflects how technology both unites and divides us.
“I wrote the screenplay when I noticed that at the dinner table people had their phones out and were emailing and texting — that people were present and strangely not present with one another,” Stern says. “I decided I wanted to write a multi-story film about how technology is connecting us in one way, but also disconnecting us at the same time. Overall, it is about the need for people to connect to one another, regardless of whether or not they do it on a computer, a cable, a smart phone or simply with the person facing them, it’s the innate need we all have in common. But because of the way we’ve all accepted living online, texting, tweeting, emailing and so forth, somehow face-to-face personal communication and real human interaction has become less and less important. The film deals with this.”
“Jennifer and I happened to read the script and we both instantly fell in love with it,” Liddell says. “We asked around and found out that the script was with Bill Horberg. And so we went over — we literally just burst into Bill’s office, introduced ourselves and said, ‘We love Andrew Stern’s screenplay and we would love to produce it with you.’”
“I’m always reading new scripts, eager and excited to find something good,” Horberg says. “Andrew Stern’s screenplay Disconnectcame to me on a weeknight with no real fanfare. At ten o’clock in the evening I decided to crack it open and to my astonishment found that I was still reading it at midnight, turning the pages in a desperate attempt to see what happens next. I couldn’t put it down.”
“It is such a real, contemporary story that speaks to so many issues that are occurring in today’s society in terms of human interaction, communication, lone, vulnerability, hope,community and healing.Best of all, it told this ripping good tale! Three of them!” Horberg says.
As with Horberg, the project’s myriad storylines and characters and its contemporary and universal themes also resonated with Liddell in a big and genuine way. Liddell says, “We loved the script and responded to it emotionally. We were excited because we felt it was so timely: it spoke deeply to the era in which we live in. We told Bill this is exactly the kind of movie we wanted to make, the kind of material we are always looking to find. The story concerned situations we all recognize, the way people sometimes try to connect but wind up distancing themselves from one another.”
With their partnership and the financing cemented, Liddell and Horberg confronted the next crucial step in bringing Stern’s story to the screen: finding a director. While dozens of directors expressed interest in the project, there was something about Henry-Alex Rubin’s passion for the movie that spoke to Liddell and Horberg. Not to mention, both men were already fans of Rubin’s freshman offering, Murderball.
Murderball was a stunning documentary, nominated for a 2005 Academy Award for Best Documentary: it is the story of paraplegics who play full-contact rugby in Mad Max-style wheelchairs overcoming unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympics in Athens, Greece. The film has a power and force to it, but it’s also extraordinarily moving with unforgettable and completely relatable characters — not unlike the intertwining stories and characters in Disconnect.
“He was the first director who walked in and said, referring to the script, ‘I grew up with this. This is all true.’ He had a profound understanding of these characters, their emotions and the path of their circumstances,” Liddell says.
Disconnect is Rubin’s first non-documentary feature length film and it was the characters and their stories that motivated and inspired him. “I love documentaries. I love making them but I always toyed with the idea of making a fictional feature,” Rubin says. “When I read Disconnect,I was moved by each of the intertwining stories. Primarily I find myself drawn to people’s emotions, and I was really drawn to these people and their situations.”
With a director on board and financing in place, the next urgent task at hand was casting — assembling an ensemble of players to bring the stories in Disconnect to life. Concentrating first on the story of Derek and Cindy Hull, the couple whose marriage has deteriorated after the death of their child, the filmmakers approached Alexander Skarsgard for the role of Derek, a former marine, and Paula Patton to play his frustrated and unhappy spouse, Cindy. Skarsgard was the first actor to commit to the project.
Although Skarsgard is well known for his role on HBO’s True Blood, it was his breakthrough portrayal of Sergeant Brad “Iceman” Colbert in HBO’s miniseries, Generation Kill, won him critical acclaim and the attention of American audiences.
Says Horberg, “It’s perfect casting for Alex to play an ex-marine, a man of few words whose stoicism and quiet determination hide a deep valley of emotion. “I’ve known Paula for a couple of years and have always wanted to work with her. She has fantastic range. We felt Paula and Alex would work really well as a couple in a story that is both subtle and intense.”
Skarsgard was particularly interested in Derek’s painful relationship with his wife. “I read the script on the plane back to the US from London and Stockholm and fell in love with it. I was intrigued by the character of Derek, interested in his relationship with Cindy. She and Derek are married but their marriage is falling apart. I like movies about relationships and relationships that aren’t working. This is something I’m interested in exploring. Derek is not very happy. Life is not what it used to be or what it was when he was in the service. Now, he works at an office, he hates his boss, and he and Cindy have drifted apart. Deep down there’s still love between them, but it’s like they’re living two separate lives in the same house, which is the situation at the beginning of the story. It gets worse between them before it gets better and that’s really interesting,” Skarsgard notes.
“Alex is not playing an easy character,” Rubin says. “Derek doesn’t exactly show emotion. He’s a man who’s come back from war and who’s locked into a job he detests. He doesn’t say much — he shows it with his eyes. Alex gives you layers and layers of meaning with his eyes and his body language. He does so much with so little. It’s astonishing.”
Skarsgard was a fan of Henry-Alex Rubin and ironically, got to initially know his director via an Internet video chat “I had seen Murderball and thought it was a beautiful, beautiful documentary. I hadn’t met Henry before this project but we got to know each other by Skype. I was in Stockholm and he was in London. I really liked him. He had some interesting ideas about the script, the character and how he wanted to tell this story. It seemed like a terrific combination: a great script and a young director with a real vision. I was thrilled to do the film.”
Paula Patton was equally enthusiastic. “I just loved the script and when they asked me to play Cindy, I jumped at the opportunity. The story has such relevance to the way we live today. Henry did such a perfect job on Murderball that I thought he was a natural for this. I think the film shouldfeel like a documentary, as if we are peeking into the lives of other people.
“Cindy is a really interesting character. She and Derek have been married a long time. I understand the ups and downs of married life and I believe with true love you can get through anything. Cindy finds herself in a place that seems like despair and the challenge is for the character to fight that despair,” Patton says.
For the roles of Rich and Lydia Boyd — the affluent, loving, but pre-occupied parents in the tale of a cyber-bullied teenage boy — the filmmakers cast Jason Bateman and Hope Davis.
“The casting of Jason Bateman was a gift,” Horberg says. “Henry and I both felt instinctively he was the perfect person for the role. He’s such a versatile actor who brings so much empathy to everything he plays.”
Although Bateman is more known for his comedic performances, it was his accessibility that appealed to Rubin and convinced him he was the perfect choice for this dramatic role.
“Jason is a very thoughtful, perceptive, precise and intense person who doesn’t always get to express that side of himself on screen — all of those aspects played into Rich, who is a driven lawyer and also a father. It was exciting for me to watch and I hope it was for him to play. Jason has innate compassion along with his humor. Rich is not funny but somehow when you meet him you like him instantly. I think that’s part of the gift that Jason brings to his roles. He’s like Jimmy Stewart or even Tom Hanks. You immediately warm to him. And that’s what we needed for Rich,” Rubin says.
Bateman says, “I don’t get a chance to do a lot of dramatic work on screen and this seemed like a great opportunity. When I read the script I kept thinking of real people and real situations. Because I’m always on my iPhone or my computer or my iPad, it made the story feel relevant and personal to me.”
In fact, the chance to work with Bateman first drew Hope Davis to the project. “To be honest, when I heard Jason Bateman would be playing my husband, I just jumped at the chance. I really wanted to work with Jason, I think he’s great,” she says.
Disconnect (2013)
Directed by: Henry Alex Rubin
Starring: Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Frank Grillo, Michael Nyqvist, Paula Patton, Andrea Riseborough, Haley Ramm, Kasi Lemmons
Screenplay by: Andrew Stern
Production Design by: Dina Goldman
Cinematography by: Ken Seng
Film Editing by: Lee Percy, Kevin Tent
Costume Design by: Catherine George
Set Decoration by: Amanda Carroll
Art Direction by: Jennifer Dehghan
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, some graphic nudity, language, violence and drug use – some involving teens.
Studio: LD Entertainment
Release Date: April 12, 2013
Visits: 83
