“I CAN FINALLY BREATHE” — James Bulger’s mother Denise Fergus shares emotional relief after controversial Oscar-nominated film about her son’s kil-lers loses at the Academy Awards 💔🙏

She had publicly called for its removal from contention, saying the film reopened deep wounds without consulting the family. When it lost, Denise tweeted her joy: “I’m so made up… can’t tell you just how relieved I am.”

For a mother who has carried unimaginable grief since 1993, this small victory felt like a moment to finally exhale. The pain never fully goes away, but moments like this offer a brief sense of justice and peace.

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Denise Fergus, the mother of murdered toddler James Bulger, has described a sense of emotional relief after the controversial short film Detainment—nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards—did not win the category in February 2019. In a tweet following the ceremony, Fergus wrote, “I’m so made up, that short film Detainment did not win the oscar, can’t tell you just how relieved I am, thanks to everyone who has agreed with me on this xx,” capturing a rare moment of respite amid decades of grief.

The film, directed by Irish filmmaker Vincent Lambe, was a 30-minute drama based on transcripts of police interviews with James Bulger’s killers, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, who were 10 years old at the time of the 1993 crime. It recreated scenes from the interrogation without using actors resembling the real boys, focusing on the psychological dynamics captured in the original recordings. The film had garnered awards at festivals like the Young Director Awards and Odense International Film Festival, qualifying it for Oscar consideration.

Fergus learned of the nomination in January 2019 and immediately voiced strong opposition. She appeared on ITV’s Loose Women and This Morning, expressing disgust that the film had been made without consulting her or James’ father, Ralph Bulger. “I cannot express how disgusted and upset I am that this so-called film has been made and now nominated for an Oscar,” she tweeted. She argued it was sympathetic to the killers and reopened her trauma, forcing her to relive the nightmare of losing her two-year-old son.

An online petition calling for the film’s removal from the Oscars shortlist quickly amassed over 227,000 signatures, reflecting widespread public sympathy for the Bulger family. Fergus urged Lambe to withdraw the nomination, stating he should “remove it from the public domain – withdraw yourself.” She criticized the filmmakers for prioritizing artistic or educational goals over the family’s feelings, saying the actors portraying the young killers could go home to their parents at night while James never had that chance.

Lambe responded with apologies for not contacting the family beforehand, saying in statements that he regretted any upset caused and that the film was not intended to exploit the tragedy or sympathize with the perpetrators. He defended it as an attempt to understand what drove such a horrific crime, emphasizing it was not made for financial gain. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences maintained a neutral stance, stating it took the family’s concerns seriously but would not influence voting, as members applied their own judgment to the film’s merits.

Despite the backlash, Detainment remained eligible and was nominated alongside films like Fauve, Marguerite, Mother, and eventual winner Skin. When Skin took the award on February 24, 2019, Fergus’s tweet of relief went viral, with many seeing it as a small but meaningful acknowledgment of the family’s pain.

The controversy highlighted tensions between artistic expression and victim sensitivity. Fergus had previously campaigned against media portrayals of the case that she felt glorified or humanized the killers, who received new identities upon release in 2001. Venables has since been recalled to prison multiple times for breaches involving child abuse imagery, while Thompson has stayed out of the spotlight.

Fergus founded the James Bulger Memorial Trust to support child safety and anti-bullying initiatives, channeling her grief into advocacy. She has met with other bereaved parents and pushed for stronger protections against harmful online content related to the case.

The 2019 Oscars moment offered Fergus a brief sense of vindication. In interviews, she described the nomination as devastating, but the loss brought a feeling of “I can finally breathe”—a rare exhale after years of fighting for her son’s memory to be respected.

The case continues to influence debates on juvenile justice, offender anonymity, and media responsibility toward victims. For the Bulger family, the pain remains constant, but moments like the film’s defeat provide fleeting relief in an ongoing journey of remembrance and resilience.