Detachment (2011), by Tony Kaye

A few days ago, remembering my time at high school, I remembered a teacher I had for the last four years (from 3rd year of high school to last course before college). He taught Mathematics. His method: he solved a problem on the blackboard, and on the day of the exam he gave a similar problem in which, remembering what he did, step by step, you got a 10.

The vast majority of his students failed, despite this, and they blamed him. What else could he do? Explain the “trick” to them? In class, no one paid attention to him, he couldn’t impose himself, they confronted him, and he had the reputation of being the worst teacher in the school.

The class did not remain silent when he asked for it, nor did they respect him. In most situations he continued writing on the board as if nothing had happened; Each year the teacher-student relationship got worse, until he ended up asking for a sabbatical when I was in 1st year of Baccalaureate.

Teachers face every day, year after year, the challenge of teaching, of educating, of transmitting values to their students and, in between, the challenge of living their lives without all of the above affecting them. They deserve all the respect, and yet they receive less and less support.

Film review of the film Detachment (2011), starring Adrien Brody, Sami Gayle and Christina Hendricks

Detachment – directed by Tony Kaye (American History X) and starring Adrien Brody (The Pianist), is a film that should be required viewing in all schools… for teachers. A pessimistic vision of the educational system, which shows in its first section how many parents, who do not know how to educate their children, dedicate themselves to giving lessons and demanding that teachers take care of the problem, and how, on the other hand, for many the solution is to privatize, like the real estate market.

Finally, it deals with distancing and detachment from current society, both at an educational and global level, either as an escape route for some, or as part of the way of life for others.

With a style reminiscent of other films with a similar theme (Half Nelson, The Class), the film initially lacks closeness and involvement on the part of the viewer, precisely generated by its pseudo-documentary style full of close-ups.

However, its greatest flaw ends up becoming its greatest virtue, and thanks to the development of the story and the performances of its entire cast, the film ends up rising above the average, and especially, what makes this story memorable, is the reality that it portrays, that touches you and invites you to reflect.

Already in the 2nd year of Baccalaureate, only two students passed and my classmate and I were able to go to Selectividad (something like SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) in the US). After the course, the professor called me at home to come to class and teach me the integrals, since he did not have time during the course. It turned out that the teacher cared about his students, but not the other way around. Of course, after going, in Selectividad I got a 0 out of 10 (F) in Mathematics.