Detainment (2018)

Two ten year-old boys are detained by police under suspicion of abducting and murdering a toddler. A true story based on interview transcripts and records from the James Bulger case, which shocked the world in 1993.

Director:

Vincent Lambe

Writer:

Vincent Lambe

Stars:

Ely Solan, Leon Hughes, Caleb Mason

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 27 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ely Solan	...	Jon
Leon Hughes	...	Robert
Caleb Mason	...	James
Will O'Connell	...	Detective Dale
David Ryan	...	Detective Scott
Tara Breathnach	...	Susan Venables
Martin Phillips	...	Jon's Solicitor
Morgan C. Jones	...	Detective Roberts
Brian Fortune	...	Detective Jacobs
Kathy Monahan	...	Ann Thompson
Tom Pigot	...	Robert's Solicitor
Barbara Adair	...	Mrs. Garrity
Helen Roche	...	Mrs. Wilson
Julie Lockey	...	Mrs. Johnson
Killian Sheridan	...	Neil Venables

Storyline

Two ten year-old boys are detained by police under suspicion of abducting and murdering a toddler. A true story based on interview transcripts and records from the James Bulger case, which shocked the world in 1993.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | interrogation | child murders a child | murder of a child | child abduction | 

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Genres:

Short | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

12

Did You Know?

Trivia

The strand maybe the only location staged. The other locations James was seen with the boys seem to be real locations on the path that Venables and Thompson took with James that day. This is based on statements and court documents and witness confirmation.

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Connections

Version of Boy A (2007)

User Reviews

Humanzing Monsters

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Ireland UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 February 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Detainment

Filming Locations:

Dublin, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twelve Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1