#FANTASIA: “DETENTION”

By Amanda Gilmore

Based on the Video Game of the same name, Detention is set in 1962 during Taiwan’s White Terror period. It follows Fang (Gingle Wang) and Wei (Tseng Chin-hua) who have been trapped alone at midnight in their high school.

First-time Feature Writer-Director John Hsu has made a striking Fantasy-Horror genre film. As with the Video Game, the real-world horror those experienced during the White Terror period perfectly moulds within fantastical elements of the narrative. Weaved into this fantasy realm is a powerful lesson of the importance of pain and the significance of those who suffer to live to tell the story. Hsu manages to keep this lesson prominent no matter how magical the stunning Visual Effects become. His effects also never take away from the impressive grounded performances from Chin-Hua and Wang. For any fan of Pan’s Labyrinth, Detention is for you.

Detention screens live online at Fantasia Fest on Mon. Aug. 24 at 7 PM.