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 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

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

The film 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]

In January 2019, it was nominated for the Best Live Action Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards.^[6] 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.^[7][8][9] 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."^[10]