Character Relationship Map: Disconnect

Characters

• Rich Boyd (played by Jason Bateman) — protagonist

  A lawyer for Nina's TV station and Ben's father. He investigates the cyberbullying that leads to his son's suicide attempt, chats with the online persona Jessica, and confronts the boys responsible, r...

• Mike Dixon (played by Frank Grillo) — supporting

  A private detective and Jason's father. He investigates identity theft for a couple, but also covers up his son's cyberbullying by deleting evidence from a classmate's iPad. During a confrontation wit...

• Stephen Schumacher (played by Michael Nyqvist) — supporting

  A suspect initially targeted by Derek and Cindy Hull for identity theft. He confronts the couple with a rifle after being stalked, but is disarmed by Derek and later de-escalated by Cindy, who reveals...

• Cindy Hull (played by Paula Patton) — supporting

  A grieving widow mourning the SIDS death of her only son two years prior. She struggles to communicate with her husband, seeks comfort in online support groups, and successfully de-escalates a violent...

• Nina Dunham (played by Andrea Riseborough) — supporting

  An ambitious reporter who interviews an underage chat-room stripper, Kyle. She faces legal and professional pressure to expose his location to the FBI, struggles with trust issues, and attempts to res...

• Frye (played by Aviad Bernstein) — minor
• Harvey (played by Marc Jacobs) — minor
• Derek Hull (played by Alexander Skarsgård) — supporting

  A former Marine and husband of Cindy Hull. He suppresses his grief over their son's death, leading to marital strain. He hires a detective to track an identity thief, stalks a suspect, and uses his mi...

• Kyle (played by Max Thieriot) — supporting

  An underage runaway forced to work as a chat-room stripper by an exploiter named Harvey. He reluctantly provides his location to reporter Nina Dunham in hopes of escaping, but ultimately refuses her r...

• Jason Dixon (played by Colin Ford) — supporting

  A teenager who, along with a friend, creates a fake online persona to cyberbully Ben Boyd into sending explicit photos. He later lies about his identity to Rich Boyd and intervenes in a violent confro...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Mike Dixon → Derek Hull (Professional Private Detective And Client) — Mike's investigation interrupts Derek's planned confrontation with Stephen and changes the couple's understanding of the case.

  Derek and Cindy hire Mike to find the person who stole their identities. Mike later calls Derek to tell him that Stephen Schumacher is not the thief.

• Mike Dixon → Cindy Hull (Professional Private Detective And Client) — Mike's investigation identifies a suspect, but his findings eventually redirect the couple away from the person they had been following.

  Cindy and Derek hire Mike to investigate the theft of their identities. Mike traces the suspected identity theft through Cindy's activity on an online...

• Derek Hull → Cindy Hull (Family Husband) — Their shared loss and difficulty discussing it create distance, while the investigation and final confrontation bring them into a shared effort.

  The plot describes Derek and Cindy as a young married couple grieving the death of their only son. Their grief strains their communication, and they p...

• Mike Dixon → Jason Dixon (Family Father) — Mike's effort to shield Jason from consequences shapes his response to the cyberbullying and fuels his conflict with Rich.

  The plot identifies Mike as Jason's father. Mike discovers Jason's and Frye's actions and deletes evidence from Frye's iPad to protect Jason.

• Harvey → Kyle (Power Exploiter) — Harvey controls the operation in which Kyle works and obstructs Nina's attempt to take Kyle away.

  The plot says Kyle is an underage runaway working for Harvey in a house with other chat-room strippers. After Nina follows them to a motel, Harvey sla...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Cindy Hull → Stephen Schumacher (Social Online Confidants) — Cindy's disclosure of Stephen's supportive role helps her persuade him to give up the rifle.

  Cindy explains during the armed confrontation that Stephen has been comforting her online in a grief group.

• Derek Hull → Stephen Schumacher (Conflict Mistaken Suspect And Defender) — Derek initially treats Stephen as the identity thief, but the armed confrontation and Mike's correction reveal that the accusation was mistaken.

  Derek and Cindy follow Stephen and break into his home for evidence. Stephen confronts them with a rifle, and Derek disarms him; Mike then tells Derek...

• Harvey → Nina Dunham (Conflict Physical Aggressor) — Harvey's assault ends Nina's effort to persuade Kyle to leave with her.

  At the motel, Harvey watches Nina and Kyle argue and then slaps Nina.

• Nina Dunham → Kyle (Narrative Reporter And Reluctant Rescuer) — Nina wants to help Kyle escape, but her uncertainty about offering him a safe place undermines his trust and ends the rescue attempt.

  Nina interviews Kyle and later asks him to leave Harvey's operation with her. Kyle initially agrees but refuses when she cannot guarantee him safety i...

• Mike Dixon → Frye (Conflict Evidence Concealer) — Mike interferes with evidence on Frye's device while trying to shield his son.

  After discovering what Jason and Frye have been doing, Mike erases evidence on Frye's iPad to protect Jason.

• Jason Dixon → Frye (Alliance Cyberbullying Partners) — They jointly carry out the deception and spread the image, setting off the crisis that drives Rich's investigation.

  Jason and Frye impersonate a girl online and persuade a teenager to send an explicit picture, which they distribute to classmates.

• Rich Boyd → Jason Dixon (Conflict Victim's Father And Cyberbully) — Rich's investigation of the bullying leads him to Jason, and their confrontation becomes violent.

  Jason and Frye use a fake online persona to trick Rich's son into sending an explicit picture. Rich later confronts Jason at Mike's house and hits him...

• Rich Boyd → Mike Dixon (Conflict Violent Adversaries) — Rich confronts Mike over Jason's cyberbullying, while Mike protects his son and the confrontation turns physical.

  Rich goes to Mike's house after discovering Jason's identity. During the ensuing fight, Mike strikes Rich with a hockey stick, and Mike later hits Ric...

Story Analysis

Three interwoven stories show how online communication can enable exploitation and harm while also offering paths toward human connection.

Plot Progression

1. Trust Under Pressure — Nina interviews Kyle and faces pressure to reveal the location of Harvey's operation. Kyle gives her the address, but the household flees, and Nina's attempt to help him ends in rejection and violence...
2. A Picture Goes Viral — Jason and Frye deceive a teenager through a fake online identity and spread his explicit image. The humiliation leads to a suicide attempt and leaves Rich searching for an explanation.
3. Truth and Retaliation — Mike discovers the boys' conduct but deletes evidence to protect Jason. Rich uncovers Jason's identity and confronts Mike, ending in a violent fight.
4. A Suspect Is Not the Thief — Cindy and Derek hire Mike to investigate their stolen identities, and his inquiry points them toward Stephen. Mike warns Derek that Stephen is also a victim, just as Stephen confronts the couple with...
5. A Fragile Connection — Derek disarms Stephen, and Cindy explains that Stephen has been comforting her online. The film leaves its stories unresolved but ends with the characters moving closer to loved ones.