Detainment

Greetings again from the darkness. Evil personified. That is the only possible way to describe 10 year old boys Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. In February 1993, the British boys skipped school and spent the day doing typically mischievous activities around the local shopping center. Typical that is until they abducted 2 year old James Bulger.

This is writer-director Vincent Lambe's 4th short film, and it's based on the disturbingly true story of the abduction-torture-murder of toddler James by the two young boys. The film draws directly from the actual tapes of interviews/interrogations once the boys were identified from the grainy security footage. This dramatization includes the pleas of innocence from the boys, as well as the reactions of both their parents and the police officers. The scenes depicting the questioning of the boys is powerful, and the scenes of the 3 boys together is more than most of us can bear, despite little of the crime being shown (thankfully).

Young actors Ely Solan (Jon) and Leon Hughes (Robert) are both extraordinary in their performances. Director Lambe deftly applies judgment in what is shown on screen and what instead corrupts our thoughts. It's heart-breaking to see what the parents of these boys must endure, but it's beyond our comprehension to imagine what Baby James Bulger's parents must have endured. The boys were tried as adults in 1993, and both subsequently released from incarceration and given assumed identities for their own protection. If somehow Lambe's short film isn't disturbing enough, it's pretty simple to get the full report of what the boys inflicted on that poor child. Evil personified.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

In February 1993, the body of two year old James Bulger was found on a railway line in Walton, Merseyside. Shortly after, two ten year old boys Robert Thompson (Leon Hughes) and Jon Venables (Ely Solan) were arrested and taken for questioning. This film is a re-enactment of the actual police interview, taken directly from transcripts. Whilst Thompson cracks under the pressure, Venables maintains a steely, hardened persona.

Last year marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the murder of James Bulger by two ten year old boys, a crime that still strikes a massive blow on the cultural consciousness whenever it is resurrected on TV or in the media. And so this controversial Northern Ireland short production was produced, not apparently to cream off any publicity from the milestone. A further uncomfortable truth is the condemnation from the mother of the murdered boy, who has voiced her disapproval of the production (and was apparently not consulted!)

In thirty short minutes, director Vincent Lambe has to cram as much affecting material as he can into his production. And so, while we open with deceptively easy going shots of the boys larking about in the shopping centre, we are quickly plunged into the uncomfortable central setup of the interview room, where it all comes out. Hughes, as Thompson, is particularly upsetting, as the child assaulted with the full gravity of what he's done, reacting with an emotional wildness that is very unsettling. Equally so is the flashback sequences of the boys leading James to his doom, where just the image of the innocent little boy and his gradual breakdown is enough to churn your gut.

It's hard to think of many other cases where something so short leaves such a devastating impression, but this is definitely one case. In the throes of their performances, the child actors sometimes lapse back into their Northern Irish accents, losing their Liverpudlian dialect, but in being so integral to something so powerful and emotionally devastating, this is a very minor flaw that can be forgiven. Not an easy watch, or even something you'd want to see again, but still undeniably shattering. ****

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.

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.