Detainment (film)

Detainment is a 2018 Irish short drama film written and directed by Vincent Lambe,[1] about the murder of James Bulger.[2] It was nominated for the Best Live Action Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards.[3]

Detainment
Film poster
Directed byVincent Lambe
Produced byRobert Dwyer-Joyce
Vincent Lambe
Written byVincent Lambe
StarringEly Solan
Leon Hughes
Music byFilip Sijanec
CinematographyPatrick Jordan
Edited byVincent Lambe
Release date
Running time
30 minutes
CountryIreland
LanguageEnglish

Cast
  • Ely Solan as Jon Venables
  • Leon Hughes as Robert Thompson
  • Will O'Connell as Detective Dale
  • David Ryan as Detective Scott
  • Tara Breathnach as Susan Venables
  • Killian Sheridan as Neil Venables

Reception

Detainment received generally positive reviews from critics with many praising the performances, particularly Solan's, and the handling of its subject matter, although many have criticised Lambe's decision to make the film without the consent of James Bulger's family.[4] In January 2019, it was nominated for the Best Live Action Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards.[5] Denise Fergus, the mother of James Bulger, stated that she was "disgusted and upset" by the film and its subsequent nomination because the film was made without contacting her family. She had previously circulated a petition to have it removed from Oscar consideration, which drew more than 227,000 signatures by 29 January 2019, and wrote to the film's director Vincent Lambe to withdraw it from the Oscars.[6] Lambe said that he would not be doing so, saying "It's like saying we should burn every copy of it. I think it would defeat the purpose of making the film."[7] The film currently has an 83% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes based on 6 reviews, and an average rating of 7.83/10.[8]

Malcolm Stevens, who oversaw the detention of the killers as the former Home Secretary's professional adviser, defended the making of the film in an editorial, saying that it raised questions regarding the treatment of young offenders which he felt "successive governments have striven to avoid".[9]

References
  1. McCoy, Frankie (17 January 2019). "Detainment director Vincent Lambe: 'I wanted to bring some shades of grey to the James Bulger case'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  2. "Oscars 2019: James Bulger's mother 'disgusted' over nomination". BBC News. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  3. "Oscar Nomination for Short Film 'Detainment' Sparks Backlash in Britain". Variety. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  4. "Detainment (2018)". Retrieved 22 March 2019 – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
  5. "Oscars 2019: Winners in full". BBC News. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  6. "Oscars 2019: James Bulger's mother sends plea to Detainment film director". BBC News. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  7. "Bulger film director 'won't withdraw' from Oscars race". BBC News. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  8. "Detainment (2018)". Retrieved 9 October 2020 – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
  9. Stevens, Malcolm (28 January 2019). "When children kill a child: the Bulger case and an Oscar-nominated film". openDemocracy (editorial). Retrieved 11 February 2019.
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