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.

First review on imdb. I watched the director on Irish prime time discussing the controversy that arise after the oscar nomination, and I was apprehensive to watch after the backlash that ensued. I have read both parents autobiography and although I think it's impossibe to feel the entirety of their pain, however you get a sense of just how disturbing/traumatizing those weeks after must have been. This short portrays that nauseating feeling very well. This film simply documents the words that came from boys mouths, nothing else. It does not exploit the situation for any entertainment. There is no nature vs nurture debate. Unbiased and real. 9/10

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.

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.

First off, these two child actors were phenomenal. I hope that-- if they are aware of the controversy around this movie-- none of it falls on them. I wish them the best of luck with their acting careers.

What to do with this movie? As with most true crime, there's always an ethical question lingering in the background of whether it was worth it to tell this story for an audience to consume it. This case was unique in that these two kids were tried as adults, and if you were to only ever see that on paper, you'd probably have a lot of questions, or you'd probably dismiss everyone involved as monsters.

And that's what feels like the question proposed to you, the audience; are these kids monsters and horrible people?

My answer is: yeah. I did not have much empathy for them. They both knew what they were doing in this tragedy, so they both need to pay the price. It's a story of those terrible fringe, edge cases where the parties involved fall right on the inner outlines of crime and punishment, and we get to examine what happens to people like them. What factors were involved, what their mentality was, what the crime was, etc..

While others touch on the point that little-to-no-attention was given to the victim or his family, to me it feels like the whole movie did: with the flashbacks in place and the alluding to how many people could've stepped in to do something about this, it feels like the victim's story was turned into a message of awareness: be aware if your kids are exhibiting this type of behavior, be aware if they are hanging out with others doing these types of things, be aware that this exists, because if you don't, we might lose another child.

I hope the worst is behind Denise. I hope these two boys seek help. And may James Bulger rest in peace.