Reviews

VULTUREHOUND MAGAZINE ..."Making a film about this topic 25 years on runs the risk of being divisive at best and in supreme bad taste at worst. Detainment manages to avoid both... in every respect, it is a brilliant short film"... ★★★★★

DAVID JAMES SMITH (author, 'The Sleep of Reason: The James Bulger case') ..."a remarkable achievement... Authentic... Unflinching and also sensitive to the on-going trauma... if audiences are willing, they will find in the film, the truth of the two boys"...

THE HOLLYWOOD TIMES ..."A gut-wrenching, heart-ripping film about two boys that went too far without a care for what they did. A true story that rips you through the core and still incites public outrage today."...

FILM & TELEVISION BUSINESS MAGAZINE ..."Mind-blowing"... "Breath-taking"... "An emotional roller-coaster"... ..."Vincent Lambe did an amazing job with Detainment, opening our eyes and hearts again to this case. James Bulger's memory will ALWAYS live on."

UNSEEN FILMS ..."Oscar-worthy performances"... "An absolute must-see"...

EYE FOR FILM ..."Lambe's triumph, aided by this excellent cast, is in showing that it's possible to confront such horrors without the emotional shield of demonisation... This is cinema that forces us to acknowledge the worst of human potential and still see humanity."... ★★★★★

BATTLE ROYAL WITH CHEESE ..."25 years later the details of this crime are no less difficult to confront, but this study of morality and the ability to understand our actions is also very poignant."...

RED CARPET CRASH ..."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."...

VIEW OF THE ARTS ..."A well-crafted and tragic 30 minute film that will divide viewers, but regardless of this, it is a heart-breaking story that we need to be reminded of"...

Film Festival Jury Comments

Winner of the Oscar-qualifying GRAND PRIX HCA AWARD at the
43RD ODENSE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
which puts 'Detainment' on the longlist for the ACADEMY AWARDS

"We, the jury, had a hard time sitting through the entire duration of this film. It features some extremely clever and at the same time heartbreaking performances from two very young actors. Rarely does one come across a film with an impact such as this one. A look into the unfathomable darkness within us all. A tale of how we all long to be forgiven, long to be loved, no matter how heinous a crime we might have committed."



  

Winner of both the SPECIAL JURY PRIZE and the GOLD SCREEN AWARD
and an unprecednted standing ovation at the
YOUNG DIRECTOR AWARDS, CANNES
during The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

"Materfully told... A perfect example of what an incredible filmmaker can do with a powerful subject."





Winner of The Don Quixote Award at the
58TH KRAKOW FILM FILM FESTIVAL

"A well-known crime story we have read about for 25 years. The brutal murder of a baby boy affects us all, and this film was emotionally stressing to watch. Based on the original tapes from the police questioning, and without showing any graphic details, the horror of the crime hits you like a sledgehammer. The audience is like a fly on the wall when the truth is revealed. Despite the awful crime, we feel the director has managed to bring humanity into the portrait of the young killers, which were brilliantly played by Ely Solan and Leon Hughes. It is a heartbreaking story and it has changed the life of so many people in a very sad way."





SPECIAL MENTION OF THE JURY at the
33RD ALPINALE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

"Vincent Lambe's unsettling movie is trying to come to terms with an event that shocked the world. Especially noteworthy is the director's achievement to guide his brilliant pre-teen cast. We're convinced that this is not the last we've heard of this talented director."

Interviews

THE FOUR OH FIVE Interview with Vincent Lambe

VINCENT LAMBE TALKS DETAINMENT (Source Creative) Click here to read the full article

We chat to the YDA-winning director about adapting the harrowing Jamie Bulger murder case and how he drew such great performances out of youngsters...

..."injecting emotion, power and unexpected pathos into the piece are two exceptional performances by the young leads"...
JAMIE MADGE, SOURCE CREATIVE

OVATION FOR CHILLING CHILD FILM (OnePointFour.co) Click here to read the full article

..."harrowing"... ..."brilliant"...
LYNDY STOUT, ONEPOINTFOUR.CO

VINCENT LAMBE DISCUSSES HIS AWARD-WINNING FILM 'DETAINMENT' (SHOTS Magazine) Click here to read the full article

..."packs a punch that has already provoked standing ovations and awards from screenings worldwide"...
SHOTS MAGAZINE