A 15-year-old boy hangs himself after cyber-bullies send a naked picture of him around school. A veteran couple pursues the identity thief who hacked their computer and drained their bank accounts on the anniversary of their son’s death. An ambitious reporter befriends a boy involved in a face-to-face, private pornography site and exposes his story on television — compromising her ethics and his safety. These stories all involve one common factor: the Internet. The World Wide Web causes detachment between fantasy and reality, but worst of all, it causes a rift within relationships. Director Henry Alex Rubin’s independent film “Disconnect” captures the darkness and the reality of the Internet and how it affects today’s world. It follows three intertwined stories that depict online corruption and how it has the potential to ruin people’s lives.

A TRAGIC AND GRIPPING PLOT

The main story follows two boys who make a fake Facebook profile of a girl and use it to friend Ben (Jonah Bobo), the loner, outcast boy at school. Once they friend him, they talk to him, make him feel loved and appreciated and eventually ask him to send ‘Jessica’ a naked picture. They spread Ben’s naked picture around the school, which prompts him to attempt suicide and end up in a coma. His family, which is very disconnected, is driven together by the tragedy in support of one another. Ben’s father (Jason Bateman) goes through Ben’s laptop, trying to get to know his son so can figure out why he would do such a thing. It is then that realizes how little he actually knows about his son. The story takes off from there, as the whole ensemble of characters’ stories unfold and intertwine into three stories full of brokenness and a desire for human connection.

This movie is not for people who go into films expecting to be propelled into a happy-go-lucky fantasy world with a happy ending. This is real life, and it’s raw, graphic and honestly a little depressing. However, that’s what makes it great. It is true that we live in a world where the Internet lords over our money and our social lives. Finally we have a movie that accurately represents the disconnect in our relationships because of our digital connection. It is a warning to disconnect from our technological obsessions, instead of from our loved ones. The characters are starving for human connection, and it is not until tragedy strikes that they finally reach out for it.

WRITING ENHANCED BY ACTING

The story and writing are incredible and they were made even better by the acting. There were some really stand-out performances from Bateman, the dad who suddenly takes an interest in his son’s life when it is hanging in the balance, Max Thieriot, a young man trying to make some cash through the Internet pornography lifestyle, and Colin Ford, the teenaged cyber-bully who feels terrible after causing Ben’s suicide attempt. The acting of the entire cast made the characters relatable and personable.

The only reason I don’t give this five stars is because it leaves you feeling like we live in a depressing world, and there’s nothing you can do about it. As Christians, we are looking for the hope in all of it, but “Disconnect” does not provide any for this empty, technologically-reliant world.

Very successful at film festivals in Toronto and Venice, “Disconnect” continues to be successful as its limited release expands to larger theaters. Right now, you can see it in theaters in Long Beach or Huntington, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it popped up at a theater near you in the future.