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Detainment (film)

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Detainment
Film poster
Directed byVincent Lambe
Written byVincent Lambe
Produced byRobert Dwyer-Joyce
Vincent Lambe
StarringEly Solan
Leon Hughes
CinematographyPatrick Jordan
Edited byVincent Lambe
Music byFilip Sijanec
Production
company
Twelve Media
Distributed byNetwork Ireland Television
ShortsTV
Release date
Running time
30 minutes
CountryIreland
LanguageEnglish

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

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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

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  • 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

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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]

References

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  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 10 October 2021.
  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: Winners in full". BBC News. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Oscars 2019: James Bulger's mother sends plea to Detainment film director". BBC News. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "Bulger film director 'won't withdraw' from Oscars race". BBC News. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
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