Detainment is a 2018 Irish short drama film written and directed by Vincent Lambe, about the murder of James Bulger. It was nominated for the Best Live Action Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards.
A re-enactment partially altered for dramatic purposes of the real-life event of what happened to James Bulger shows 10-year-old boys Jon Venables and Robert Thompson each asked questions in different Liverpool police stations about what happened to James. They constantly blame each other, and flashbacks are shown of their time together with James. Eventually, they are found guilty of murdering James, and both boys are arrested offscreen.
Detainment has approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews, and an average rating of . Malcolm Stevens, who oversaw the detention of the killers as the former Home Secretary's professional adviser, defended the making of the film in an editorial, saying that it raised questions regarding the treatment of young offenders which he felt "successive governments have striven to avoid".
Denise Fergus, the mother of James Bulger, condemned the film due to it being produced without her family's knowledge or consultation. Upon learning of the film's Academy Award nomination, Fergus launched a petition to have it disqualified, which amassed over 227,000 signatures. Fergus also personally asked Lambe to withdraw the film, but Lambe refused, stating that doing so would "defeat the purpose" of making it.