Sometimes, you just need a hug and someone to talk to. That's at the heart of Destin Daniel Cretton's Short Term 12, a moving film that knows that it often falls into cliched taps and embraces it. With a plethora of engaging performances and an intimate directing style, it's easy to get caught up in this.
Brie Larson, whose performance is so stunning that it's frustrating that she wasn't nominated for an Oscar, stars as Grace, a supervisor at the titular home for troubled teens. We are introduced to her world through Nate (Rami Malek), a new supervisor at the home. At first, it looks like Cretton is going to let Nate act as a surrogate audience member, but Nate is wisely shuffled to the background. As the film goes on, Grace takes center stage and keeps it.
At the beginning of the film, Grace discovers she is pregnant and scheduled an abortion. That's our first step into her private life, which isn't as calm as she makes it look in front of the teens. Although she lives with Mason (John Gallagher, Jr.), another supervisor who hopes to marry her, she is surprisingly introverted. It's only through a newcomer to the home, Jayden Cole (Kaitlyn Dever), that Grace finds someone to connect with. She sees herself in Jayden and helping her also helps Grace to learn the power of opening up to others.
Cretton's script does feel a bit cliched as it goes on. Every time Jayden reveals more of her troubles, it feels like he's forcing connections between Jayden and Grace. It is entirely possible for Grace to see a reflection of herself in Jayden without making Jayden a mini-Grace (or Grace an older Jayden), but Cretton doesn't see it that way. As they get closer to the core of Jayden's problems, Grace reveals that she also had an abusive father. And it almost becomes a macabre game of one-upmanship between the two of them.
But it really is the acting that's key to Short Term 12's success. Larson instantly pulls the audience in with her realistic portrayal of this supervisor. We can feel the love she has for the teens she works with, but there's also an incredible pressure on her shoulders that's also there for us to see. It's a quiet performance that highlights the differences between her character and Mason. And she also plays off John Gallagher Jr., who also does a great job. Sure, Larson has been singled out, but this is a film that really works because of the ensemble around her.
The young actors that fill out the roles of the teens are also incredibly well cast. Keith Stanfield, who has since gone on to have roles in Selma and Straight Outta Compton, is particularly powerful as Marcus, who is on the cusp of leaving Short Term 12. Marcus is also a bit like Grace, but that's less obvious than Jayden. He's nervous about life outside the home, just like she is.
Cretton also has a wonderful directing style that gives the film a very loose and often improvised feeling. The camera is usually on the movie, embedding us right in the action. It's sort of like a John Cassavetes-style picture, in that the audience can feel a part of the drama unfolding. I'm not saying that Cretton is anywhere near Cassavetes' level yet, but he's picked some good influences if that's what he's shooting for.
Hopefully Cretton gets to work on a second feature soon and more people see Short Term 12. It's an incredibly moving, emotional picture that, again, fully embraces its often predictable direction. That's because Cretton has some talented actors to fall on who make this a remarkable movie.
Short Term 12 is currently available to stream on Netflix.
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