Detention Movie Review

Detention ( in Chinese is called 返校, which literally mean “returning to school” ) is a 2019 Taiwanese psychological horror film. This movie was released on 20 September 2019 in Taiwan. This movie was adapted from the popular survival horror adventure video game of same name developed by Red Candle Games from Taiwan. Detention basically happened in 1962 Taiwan during the White Terror martial law period. Fang Ray-shin, a female student at the hillside Greenwood High School is attending counselling with teacher Mr. Chang, and they gradually fall in love. It was a dangerous period where sensitive books were banned and free speech were restricted, but Mr. Chang secretly organised a study group for banned books, together with fellow teacher Miss Yin and male student Wei Chong-ting. One day, Mr. Chang disappears. Ray-shin and Chong-ting then wake up in the middle of night in their empty school and are trapped inside. They must now escape the school and find their missing teacher. The school building has become a place where demons rampage and they will have to confront the truth and dark historic past in their school.

The movie also incorporates a lot of religious elements based on Chinese culture, Buddhism, Taoisme and mythology. The biggest element that used in this movie is Saṃsāra ( in Chinese is called 轮回, that means cyclic change). Saṃsāra in Buddhism, states Jeff Wilson, is the "suffering-laden cycle of life, death, and rebirth, without beginning or end". Also referred to as the wheel of existence (Bhavacakra). In the ending of the movie, the main character, Fang Ray-shin need to have courage to remember and face her own mistakes, assign guilt, and finally initiate a rebirth based on acknowledging that guilt. If not, Fang Ray-shin will need to repeat her death again and again. The most disappointing point of this movie is that the production removes a lot of traditional Chinese religious elements. As an example, in the game, the characters will be attacked by hungry ghost during their journey. To avoid them, characters need to place a bowl of rice with incense sticks on the ground and walk away while holding their breath. However, the only monster in the movie is the military police with the face of mirror which symbolizes white terror.

In conclusion, Detention is a really nice movie that conveys the White Terror’s traumatic impact to 1960s Taiwan and represents a significant milestone in Taiwan’s reckoning with its authoritarian past.