Disconnect

Disconnect looks like one of those ensemble dramas where a group of strangers' disparate stories are linked by a common theme, the theme in this case being the internet and its particular, unprecedented ability to destroy lives. It's a three pronged warning:

1) That the very technologies which connect us to those who are far away in turn disconnect us from those who are close by (as in a family dinner where everyone is on their respective smart phones and ignoring each other).
2) That the internet provides a new terrain for predators of all kinds to exploit the vulnerable, the desperate, and the naive.
3) That these technologies are so new and advancing so rapidly that even the exploiters can't control the impact of their actions. When it comes to the internet, everyone is naive, and that makes everyone a potential victim.

Generally speaking, this format is not my favorite. I find that when a bunch of subplots are molded into a single sermon, character development is sacrificed for the sake of the message, and no one gets the amount of attention they deserve. That said any dark fables about the dangers of trusting the internet  get a thumbs up in my book. It's called the "web" for a damn reason, and we've spent the last two decades tangling ourselves in it so tightly that we're shit out of luck if a spider comes along. As the generation raised with the internet hits adulthood, the more "worst case scenario" media the better, and one successful movie can stir up a  bigger panic than a dozen preachy Newsweek headlines. If Disconnect can do for sharing your secrets online what Deliverance did for canoeing through the Georgia wilderness, more power to it.