Detainment (film)

Detainment
Film poster
Directed by	Vincent Lambe
Written by	Vincent Lambe
Produced by	Robert Dwyer-Joyce Vincent Lambe
Starring	Ely Solan Leon Hughes
Cinematography	Patrick Jordan
Edited by	Vincent Lambe
Music by	Filip Sijanec
Production company	Twelve Media
Distributed by	Network Ireland Television ShortsTV
Release date	May 2018 (2018-05)(Cannes)
Running time	30 minutes
Country	Ireland
Language	English

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]

Plot

A re-enactment partially altered for dramatic purposes of the real-life event of what happened to James Bulger shows 10-year-old boys Jon Venables and Robert Thompson each asked questions in different Liverpool police stations about what happened to James. They constantly blame each other, and flashbacks are shown of their time together with James. Eventually, they are found guilty of murdering James, and both boys are arrested offscreen.

Cast

• Ely Solan as Jon Venables
• Leon Hughes as Robert Thompson
• Caleb Mason as James Bulger
• Will O'Connell as Detective Dale
• David Ryan as Detective Scott
• Tara Breathnach as Susan Venables (Jon Venables’ mother)
• Killian Sheridan as Neil Venables (Jon Venables’ father)
• Kathy Monahan as Ann Thompson (Robert Thompson’s mother)
• Morgan C. Jones as Detective Roberts
• Martin Phillips as Laurence Lee (Jon Venables’ solicitor)
• Tom Pigot as Dominic Lloyd (Robert Thompson’s solicitor)
• Alan Buckley as Robert Thompson’s social worker
• Brian Fortune as Detective Jacobs

Reception

Detainment has an 83% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes based on six reviews, and an average rating of 7.8/10. ^[4] 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". ^[5]

Denise Fergus, the mother of James Bulger, condemned the film due to it being produced without her family's knowledge or consultation. Upon learning of the film's Academy Award nomination, Fergus launched a petition to have it disqualified, which amassed over 227,000 signatures. Fergus also personally asked Lambe to withdraw the film, ^{[6] [7] [8]} but Lambe refused, stating that doing so would "defeat the purpose" of making it. ^[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)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved 3 May 2025.
5. Stevens, Malcolm (28 January 2019). "When children kill a child: the Bulger case and an Oscar-nominated film". openDemocracy (editorial). Retrieved 11 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. "Oscars 2019: James Bulger's mother 'disgusted' over nomination". BBC News. 22 January 2019. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
8. "Oscars 2019: Bulger mother calls on director to drop out of awards". BBC News. BBC. 24 January 2019. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
9. "Bulger film director 'won't withdraw' from Oscars race". BBC News. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.

External links

• Detainment at IMDb