Detainment

This one’s a bit different readers. I read recently about a short movie based on the interviews and records of the James Bulger case (for people who are unaware, James Bulger was a toddler was kidnapped and killed in the early 1990s and the most shocking part was it turned out the 2 kids were responsible) and there has been an outcry because James’ parents weren’t asked about this movie and it has caused a lot of upset and now it has been given an Oscar nomination (Best Live Action Short Film). The movie has as of writing this review won 12 awards and doesn’t look like it’s losing any momentum, but to be fair this is likely due to the controversy of the subject and how uncomfortable viewing this is according to judges.

So, I thought I’d ask for a viewing and see what it was all about.

In 1993, the UK was shocked too by the kidnapping of James Bulger, a toddler. They searched for him for a couple of days and unfortunately found him dead, but the really shocking part was the kidnapping and murder was done by 2 children, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. This 30-minute movie, based on the interviews of Venables and Thompson as well as other records shows a reconstruction of what they’d done as well as the interview.

A harrowing short that gave me chills showing a kind of insight of the murderers mindset (even scarier when you consider it is 2 kids who were the murderers too, so there’s a kind of innocence in there which is creepy), it’s quite powerful and as much as it is fascinating to watch it’s not something I’d particularly want to watch again in a great hurry…not because it is bad, I hasten to add, far from it, but I just don’t think this is the kind of film that you’d particularly watch again and again, although I’m glad I did.

Should this movie have been made? You know, I’ve been thinking about that since watching it, and it’s not strictly a black or white situation. I feel for the parents of James Bulger, struggling to get on with life without their precious son. That has got to be hard, really hard….and then something like this comes out (and they have not been asked if they would want this to go ahead) and everything comes crashing down again. No matter what anybody says…that has got to hurt bad and in that respect my heart truly goes out to them. However….some things should never be forgotten. This was such a shocking event in the UK, and I don’t recall anything that rocked the UK as this did. In that respect, it should never be forgotten, not just swept under the rug. This shows why strangers of any type can be a bad thing. It shows that parents have to be hyper-vigilant (no, I’m not blaming the parents for the death before anyone even attempts to slam me for that. Being a step-parent to 5 kids and a father figure to 2 in the past I get the “eyes in the back of your head thing a little too well…) at all times.

I know a lot of people will boycott this short movie, and I totally understand why. I understand the hurt and respect that there will be solidarity with many parents. I, however, think it was a good choice to be made. It wasn’t an enjoyable movie to watch at all, but despite this being a difficult movie to watch it was one I was certainly glad to have experienced.

Detainment was released in May 2018 and Is unrated. I’m not exactly sure where you can watch it (if you indeed want to) or if you actually can watch it anywhere but the official website has contact details that might be able to help.