Guillaume Massart, through his documentary titled “Detention”, immerses viewers in the complex world of the National School of Prison Administration (ENAP) during the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, in the ACID selection. This daring film poignantly examines the journey of a cohort of students, highlighting the tensions between theoretical training and the reality of prison life. The camera, while maintaining a distance from the penitentiary space, reveals the feelings and testimonies of these future guards, confronted with unsettling ethical and professional challenges.
The documentary *Detention*, directed by Guillaume Massart, is making waves this year at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival as part of the ACID selection. This captivating film explores the intimacy of the journey of future prison guards training at the National School of Prison Administration (ENAP) in Agen. Through deep immersion, Massart sheds light on the tensions between the students’ ideals and the harsh reality of being a guard. By crafting this realistic and poignant portrait, the director questions the relationship to the law, authority, and humanity in an environment as harsh as that of prisons.
The context of the documentary’s creation
Massart’s documentary is set in an era where prison and education seem to overlap, akin to the ideas put forward by Michel Foucault in *Discipline and Punish*. The young students of ENAP find themselves confronted with a rigid disciplinary system, where their submission to the rules is quickly put to the test.
The first days of school are crucial. Instructors impose strict rules, and within this framework, future guards are led to question not only their vocation but also their relationships with others. This initiates a reflection on the structure of their education, where the application of rules often takes precedence over their well-being.
By stepping away from conventional narratives, *Detention* creates a differing atmosphere that unconsciously recalls Kubrick’s world in *Full Metal Jacket*, where authority attempts to forge toughness within soldiers. The tension is palpable from the first scenes when students are welcomed by a demanding instructor who allows no room for discussion or dissent.
A critical look at the guardian profession
This work does not merely depict a brutal reality; it also questions the notion of power and law. The students, often idealistic at first, gradually discover the complexity of their future profession. This stage is marked by internships in detention centers, where the theory taught collides with the chaotic reality of prison life.
- The trainees are torn: between the notion of authority to be applied and the absurdity of certain rules.
- The confrontation with inmates prompts them to question their ethics.
- Their varied experiences enrich their reflections on respect for the law.
The testimonies gathered over the months show how each trainee confronts their own limits. They become aware that, behind the walls of the school, lies a less ideal world, marked by acts of violence and difficult decisions. They also realize that the prison becomes a space where rules crumble, where the law is not always respected, and where their role is called into question.
An audacious and revealing film
Massart adopts an uncompromising approach, capturing the realities on the ground with disconcerting frankness. Never placing his camera inside penitentiary facilities, he succeeds in conveying raw emotions through the words of the trainees themselves. This method reinforces the poignant nature of the narrative and allows the systemic violence they face to show through.
One of the most disturbing aspects of *Detention* is the shift from admiration to disillusionment, clearly visible in the testimony of a trainee threatened by her colleagues. Her absence from the film ultimately reveals a flaw in the system, illustrating how ideals can be quickly annihilated by the realities on the ground. This brutal realization is at the heart of the work, depicting a world where the ideal clashes with the necessity to survive.
The impact and reception of the documentary
The film has sparked vigorous debate about the role and place of guards in our society. The confrontation between the duty to enforce the law and the inherent brutalities of the prison system challenges the audience. The final scene of the documentary, where the trainees sing the Marseillaise in the rain, symbolizes this ongoing submission to the rules, despite their inner questioning.
This powerful film has not only made its entry into the Cannes Film Festival; it has also managed to capture the attention of the public and critics by raising universal themes of authority, guilt, and struggle in a disenchanted world. *Detention* is thus much more than just a documentary—it’s a window into the complexities of prison life and a call to reflection.
Detention: A Disturbing Look at Institutions
Guillaume Massart, through his documentary “Detention,” immerses us in an often misunderstood world that evokes the realities of prison and educational systems. Presented in the ACID selection at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, this film offers a deep analysis of the dynamics between training and practice within the National School of Prison Administration (ENAP). Massart succeeds in capturing the very essence of this training, highlighting the tension between obedience and disobedience, and the internal conflicts experienced by these future guards.
The structure of the documentary, which refrains from entering the walls of a prison, allows us to witness the authentic testimonies of students in training. Each of them faces a destabilizing paradox: the gap between the principles instilled and the brutal reality that awaits them. The images of young idealists, confronted with a system out of sync with their values, result in a surge of questions about the morality of power and the strength of norms. This sharp view of prison as a system of lawlessness raises essential questions about humanity, respect for the law, and the consequences of an environment where violence and submission coexist.
The screening of “Detention” is all the more striking as it challenges our perceptions of institutions and justice. By revealing the monthly suffering of the trainees and the gradual dehumanization they face, Massart sheds light on a broader societal issue: the failure of education within penitentiary systems. This uncompromising perspective invites critical reflection on these realities often overlooked by the general public.
