Film about James Bulger killers being nominate for an Oscar

[Wigwambam10]

So wrong on so many levels but I think the thing that makes it worse is that the family of James were not asked about the film the the first place.

Hollywood will just see it as a film but for goodness sake there is a family still grieving who will always be grieving for the rest of their lives and someone is making money from it all. Just doesn’t sit well with me

thanks rytonsister for your insight.

The Bulger film, as are the court reports and the book, are all interesting because they show so little insight into the killers' motivation. No one's got a clue why they did it 25 years on. That's the most interesting thing of all.

Ditto the Ted Bundy serial tapes now on netflix - no lighting flashes of revelation in that horrorfest either.

But all this makes asking the difficult questions that bit more important. Maybe not so immediately appealing to Denise Fergus, admittedly, but important for us all.

We need to know what makes killers kill and we'll never find out unless we keep on asking.

Out of us all, murder victims' families appreciate knowing the most. Maybe the lack of closure has surely perpetuated Mrs Fergus' decades of public mourning. And she's a brilliant, brilliant woman - she deserves answers. This film won't produce them for her, or for any of is, but the least we can do for her and her dead child is carry on talking and discussing the case.

On "Twitter" earlier. The following is a quote about the film. I'm not going to tweet a response to the POS - because I'll get banned.
"Looking forward to watching "Detainment". didn't expect I'd need to add another film to my Oscar binge fest". Followed by a laughing emoji. There are other ignorant posts.
The abduction and murder of Jamie Bulger was horrendous. Feel so sorry for his family.
I really hope the film does not win its category.

I don't think the film will win - it's not very good by all accounts and it's not on general release.

Look people these were two very fucked up 10 year olds - do you think they even know why they did it???

They won't have a clue why they did it. Not to this day. That philosophy is bullshit to say it's exploring why and their psychological state . They were abused children who abused and killed a smaller person than them. They won't have had a reason to kill. They just killed and then had to deal with the consequences of that behaviour. There is no justification for this film except to ogle at someone else's misfortune and people are fascinated by killers particularly ones that are so shocking as this.
It is still not morally right to exploit this story for personal gain or critical acclaim. The director has a job. He makes films. He hasn't had to live with all those years of torturous hurt that Denise fergus has to and she I think is a pretty decent sort.

This fillmis exploitation and voyeurism and a bit sick.

I watched boy a a few years back in the bbc and thought that was really sensitively made and had me really questioning my feelings on child killers.

This film smacks of someone crudely sticking the interviews in film and hailing it a masterpiece without ever a thought for the victim. Self serving and just wrong.

There’s no justification for this film whatsoever. To inflict such pain on poor Denise Fergus is unconscionable. That the director refuses to bow out of the Oscars shows him to be utterly insensitive to her feelings. How would any of us feel, as parents, if their child’s brutal murder was exploited in this way in the name of entertainment? It’s obscene and wicked. Shame on him.

A 15 year old girl helped murder her best friend’s mother. She was jailed, did her time, never reoffended and is now Anne Perry a best selling writer of crime novels. Should we boycott her books?
Mary Bell had the most terrible life, neglected and abused, it isn’t an excuse for her murdering those two little boys, however she did her time and has built a life for herself and her child, and never reoffended.
In my opinion it’s the fact that Venables has reoffended which makes
this film inappropriate.
I am more concerned that a “man “ who murdered three tiny children in a particularly brutal way in 1973 is probably out walking the street again.

I don't think the film will win - it's not very good by all accounts

Although it has received critical praise and won awards at film festivals

and it's not on general release

That has no bearing on whether it wins. Most of the films in the short film categories over years and years haven't been on general release. It's not audiences who vote on what wins but members of the Academy

As pp mentioned Boy A is a novel and film about child murderers, and it’s a sensitive, heartbreaking film.
I think it would have been better if the family of James had ignored this film, and tried to rise above it if at all possible, instead they had given this film more publicity.

These filmmakers could have picked a billion other things to make a film about, yet they chose something they knew would be edgy and bring lots of free publicity. Pathetic.

Given that it's been out for some time and very low profile, it's fairly ridiculous to say the film makers are in this for the publicity.

It's different because this is about a tiny child whose mum we all grew to relate to through the media coverage. It is more personal than some of the others

That's a really offensive thing to say. Does anyone seriously believe that the deaths of victims of the Moors murderers, Fred West, Ian Huntley and Levi Bellfield are one iota less personal?

It's also deeply ironic to object to this on the basis that we know more about it through media coverage. How come that very media coverage is fine whereas one more film isn't?

If any movie is being made that involves real life stories should always check with the victims families before they start filming and should be law

This quote from the online petition show up how ludicrous it is. On that basis, how many permissions would you have to get to make a film about, say, Stalin?

It's also a bit strange to talk about boycotting this film, given how difficult it is to see it anyway. It's not a question of deciding not to go and buy a ticket, given that most of us wouldn't be able to get one anyway.

I don't think the film will win - it's not very good by all accounts and it's not on general release.

LanaorAna2 You clearly have an insight into the Oscar nomination and voting process, not to say how the film industry works, that we need to hear.

Wait, no. You don't. You've not seen the film, and I doubt any of the 'all accounts' you cite have either. The film is difficult, powerful, and if you strip out the mob mentality and hysteria, well deserving of its place on the short list. And as ShatnersWig says, critically acclaimed.

General release, as in being screened in your local Vue or Odeon is not a requirement of this category, and neither is it a guarantee of quality.

As SaturdayNext says to those of you shouting "BOYCOTT" (and I said something similar earlier), you can't boycott the film, you would have to go a long way to find a screening. Are you regular film festival goers?

I’ll be looking to watch this mainly because of the fuss this has created, but also to see what they say about the two children who committed that crime.

I expect you can download it on bit torrent.

I think it’s madness that anyone would make a short film about this. How could the film maker seriously expect to get away with it? I haven read all the posts on this but this is my opinion. Someone asked earlier why people are obsessed with this case. I can only believe it’s because it was and still is unique. There is so many unanswered questions, because the boys that committed this awful murder can never publicity explain themselves. Even the people involved in the case, have never really been able to speak publicly because the uniqueness of it, although there has been recent documentaries to mark the 25th year.
I think it’s still in the public eye because most of us over the age of 30 have grown up with it. I was ten in 1993, the case still seems fairly recent, even though it was over 25 years ago.
The Moors murders and Mary Bell happened in the 1960s, not many people on here would have been old enough to remember it.
I accept that there have been many other children murdered, the difference is that the killers have been given life sentences, so there isn’t much more that can be done.I think people are shocked by the nature of this case, the boys ages, and the fact they were released into society with anonymity.
Someone on here posted that people have made films about 911 and other events, well it isn’t exactly the same is it?! This film is specific to poor James Bulger. Yes his mother should have been consulted.

@JediJim it's not unique at all though. There have been many other cased of children killing children. Mary Bell is another who has been named. She served 11 years for killing a 3 year old and a 4 year old when she was 10 and 11. She now has lifetime anonymity and has a partner and an adult DD. However there have been many children who've committed murder in the uk in the last 15 years who have not been named. Their crimes have been shocking but they've been largely forgotten by all but the victims families because they haven't been turned into circuses

Twatty. I’m not disputing other children haven’t committed murder. But James Bulger was abducted by two strangers ( ten year old boys and horrificly murdered). He was randomly taken in a shopping centre.
Mary Bell was in the 1960s. A lot of people in society today wouldn’t have been old enough to remember that. Mary Bell also knew the children she killed ( again slightly different ).James Bulger was in the 90s.
I personally can’t think of any other similar cases. Sorry.