Detainment

I wasn't sure whether to watch this or not, I guess I was curious to see it after all the media reports about it, and of course it being nominated for an Oscar.

The acting is superb, especially by the two boys and the parents. I guess the film made me realise what the parents of the boys must have felt when realising the evil things their own child had done, that was hard to watch.

Do I think the film should ever have been made, I am honestly not sure, but films are quite often made without the consent of all involved.

What those two did, is the most evilest thing I have ever seen in my life, it disturbs me that they are now free.

I have never felt so sorry towards anyone as i do to James's parents.

RIP James

This is such a disturbing real story and the script lines are based on the actual taped interrogations and confessions of the two ten-year-old boys that murdered in a gruesome, inhuman way the little James Bulger, a two-year-old baby. The case shocked the whole globe when it happened in 1993 and the two boys became the youngest convicted murderers of the 21st century. If you are parents, especially with little kids avoid this short film at any cost. One should protect himself from the sheer volume of human depravity and wickedness. Unfortunately, there are stories that they take a lot more than a strong stomach to digest.

Nevertheless, if one wants to evaluate the film itself it is a great achievement as it is much difficult to direct two young kids to portray the two murderers in such a masterful and convincing manner. Leon Hughes and Ely Solan are two names that, I am certain, will hear more in the near future. The director is Vincent Lambe, who shoots exclusively short-length movies such as "Broken Things" and "After the War", but this one is definitely his magnum opus so far. "Detainment" made the Oscar shortlist for Best Live Action Short Film 2019. There is a controversy around this nomination as Lambe didn't ask for the permission of little James Bulger's parents, something that is considered a major unethical move from the film's producers team. If you are a fan of the true crime genre. you should watch "Detainment" keeping always in mind the remarks I made at the beginning of my review.

I felt guilty watching this as I know that Denise Bulger, the mother of the murdered toddler, was so upset at its being released. This short film was excellently done and, if anything, brings James's story back up to people. May his memory be eternal.

The young actors did phenomenal jobs. If you want an example of an excellent child actor, watch this. I cannot wait to see them in feature-length films in the future.

Chilling and disturbing short film on the murder of James Bulger. Based on actual interviews the film depicts the narration of the 10 year old murderers as they were interrogated by the police. The lies, confusion and tragedy are grippingly portrayed as the child psychopaths are eventually brought to justice. Good directing and stellar acting especially by the young actors portraying the killers make this one of the standout shorts. The only flaw of the movie is the horrid details of the crime are not fully touched on leaving the film wanting and hanging as to the gravity of the crime and what makes it one of the most horrendous in history. Dark and unforgettable, "Detainment" is a glimpse of evil on earth and the all too painful reality of it.

I thought Detainment was a remarkable achievement, a compelling and disturbing evocation of those events, which I know all too well and remain deeply troubling even after 25 years.

The film was authentic and brilliantly cast especially the two boys who perpetrated the killing of James Bulger. While I could imagine some would recoil from the idea of dramatising such a terrible crime, I thought the film was both unflinching and also sensitive to the ongoing trauma.

If audiences are willing, they will find in the film the truth of the two boys and their inescapable smallness - they were just ten, after all - which only serves to make the incident as unfathomable now as it was in 1993.

As Detainment I think seeks to explore, even though the killing is painfully difficult to comprehend we have a responsibility, not only to the victim and the perpetrators but also to ourselves, to try and make sense of what happened. In that way the film avoids prurience and shows us two boys of primary school age who are not the evil monsters of popular imagination but only human after all.

I hope the film finds the wider audience it very much deserves.

-- David James Smith (author, 'The Sleep of Reason: The James Bulger Case')