Festivals - Fantasia 2020 : Detention, Canadian Premiere

By Mulder, 08 august 2020

At once a shocking historical drama, a melancholy initiatory tale and a terrifying horror film, Detention was covered with awards at the Taipei Golden Horse Awards and garnered praise at several festivals including Rotterdam, Busan and Fantasporto, where it received the Special Jury Prize. Adapted from the eponymous video game, this masterful debut feature from director and co-writer John Hsu creates a whimsical metaphorical universe of a gloomy metaphorical universe from an untenable historical context reminiscent of Pan's Labyrinth. Moreover, its striking sound effects, sinister art direction, disturbing special effects and bloody side also evoke Silent Hill.

Detention is a 2019 Taiwanese supernatural psychological horror film, based on the popular horror video game of the same name developed by Red Candle Games from Taiwan. Set in 1962 during Taiwan's White Terror period, a boy and a girl are trapped alone at their hillside high school at midnight. While trying to escape and find their missing teacher, they encounter ghosts and the dark truth of their fate in the times of martial law. The film had been banned in mainland China, but enjoyed strong box office success in Taiwan and Hong Kong; the film was also selected in the official section of the 2020 International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Synopsis :
This is Taiwan in 1962 during the White Terror era and martial law is in force on the island. In this context of extreme repression, all ideas considered to be dissident are banned and the culprits are tortured or executed. Tsuihua Secondary School is not an escape from oppression. Despite close surveillance by the military police, Professor Zhang runs an underground literary club where Wei and his fellow students learn about banned books and dream of freedom. While the teacher is appreciated by his students, young Fang is madly in love with him. The usually shy teenage girl living in a violent home manages to open up like a book in her presence. Then Zhang disappears. One night, Fang wakes up at her desk, but the school has changed. As she wanders through the sinister corridors and other dilapidated rooms in search of her teacher, she meets Wei. Together, they must confront the ghosts and deformed monsters that have taken over the school to find out what happened there.

Detention
Directed by John Hsu
Produced by Lee Lieh, Lee Yao-hua
Written by John Hsu, Fu Kai-ling, Chien Shi-keng
Based on Detention by Red Candle Games
Starring Gingle Wang, Fu Meng-po, Tseng Ching-hua, Cecilia Choi, Hung Chang Chu
Production companies : 1 Production Film Co., Filmagic Pictures, Asmik Ace
Distributed by Warner Bros. Taiwan
Release date : 20 September 2019
Running time : 105 minutes

(Source : Fantasia 2020 official website)