The jury is still out on whether it was a perfect choice or an ironic one to have Arianna Huffington chair a Q&A panel after last night’s screening of Disconnect. The film is a biting commentary on everything that’s wrong with the Internet. But perhaps the media queen is a shining symbol of everything that’s right with it. The ensemble film follows three plot lines of characters colliding and failing to connect because of their addictions to the internet and technology. In a surprising casting decision, Marc Jacobs makes his acting debut as Harvey, an online porn kingpin. “I may have undersold the role to Marc,” said director Henry Alex Rubin on just how difficult filming a movie role can be. Jacobs interjected, “We were filming until 9 a.m., after fourteen hours outdoors on the coldest day of the year!”
The film is inspired by some headlines Rubin read in the New York Times a few years ago, all about different accidents and bizarre incidents revolving around the internet. Huffington asked if Rubin was trying to teach us a lesson. Said Rubin, “I didn’t approach this with any sort of theory or polemic. I just wanted to make things as real as possible. I approached it like a documentary.” And it was Rubin’s approach to the film that made Huffington such a supporter. “The internet magnifies everything and accelerates the impact,” said Huffington. “There’s no question that there is a snake in the garden and the movie captures it—loneliness and disconnect. We are drawn to technology and use it as a refuge.” Huffington encouraged the audience to “start a national conversation” by voicing their views about the movie on The Huffington Post.
—Todd Plummer
Photo: OWen Hoffmann/ Patrick McMullan
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