It’s a well-known irony of the Information Age that while the Internet has allowed for unprecedented communication on a global scale, its seductively anonymous nature has also fostered a breakdown of communication on an interpersonal scale. This is the underlying theme of Henry Alex Rubin’s not-so-subtly named Disconnect, a dramatic triptych of loosely connected stories that mostly avoids the pitfalls of an easy target with solid work from all involved.
In one story, Alexander Skarsgård and Paula Patton play Derek and Cindy, a married couple struggling to come to terms with life and each other after the death of their infant son. Adding insult to tragedy, the couple falls victim to identity theft, which drains their bank and credit accounts dry. The perp is likely Cindy’s longtime chat buddy from a support-group website, whom she’s been more emotionally open with than her husband. Skarsgård might not be the most demonstrative of actors, but fans of his work from True Blood know his stern Nordic gaze holds a churning sea at bay; it makes him a great choice for a character trying to keep it together as he gets all the more desperate.
The second scenario stars Andrea Riseborough as a local TV reporter who sees a great interview opportunity in a contented and aimless sex-cam worker played by Max Thieriot. It’s no surprise that the legal and emotional ramifications of their relationship spiral out of control. The two have a nice chemistry, and are both sympathetic, even though their story is the weakest of the bunch.