Short Term 12 (Film Review)

I knew nothing about Short Term 12 before watching; only hearing about it due to a followed critic placing it on his top ten of the year list.  The fact that it never came to my local theaters, was ever advertised during trailers, and took me this long to hear about it is completely unforgivable (on both the theaters and my part).  By the first few minutes I was hooked in by the film’s premise; through the 20 minute mark I became enthralled by its characters and plot.  The more the film progressed the better it got (and it started out on a fairly good basis).  By the time the credits began rolling my face had sprouted a grin going from one side of my ear to the other; and this wasn't any ordinary smile, it was the after smile of having just experienced one heck of a great movie.

The film’s title comes from the name of its location; a foster home for teenagers with troubled lives and families called Short Term 12.  Our main protagonist is named Grace (Brie Larson), one of the supervising caretakers whose own tough life helps her to relate with the youths.  She works with other caretakers including her longtime boyfriend Mason (John Gallagher Jr.) and newcomer Nate (Rami Malek), whose jobs are to look after, keep safe, and help the distressed teens with their problems (sometimes succeeding and other times failing).  Their jobs are difficult, as the teenagers try to escape the premise, hurt themselves, or occasionally get violent towards them or other patients.  Two of the main teenagers given focus are Marcus (Keith Stanfield), a nearing adult who’s called Short Term 12 his home for a long time and is afraid of leaving; and Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), a new arrival who shares a similar past with Grace’s own.  The story dives deep into both teens and caretakers struggling lives; divulging more into their personalities and revealing there’s more to them than meets the eye.

So why exactly do I consider Short Term 12 to be such a strong film?  Well for starters the film’s pacing is near impeccable from the get-go (I was not exaggerating when mentioning how the first several minutes hooked me in).  Without trying to spoil, Short Term 12 starts off with Mason telling Nate a crude humor tale that happened to him at work.  All seems relatively lighthearted (to both Nate and the audience) until…BAM, a burst of energy comes sailing into the film’s pacing; causing the casual situation to become chaotic.  As a viewer, I’m not one-hundred percent sure what’s going on, but just as newcomer Nate (who serves perfectly as an audience surrogate in learning the foster home’s regulations and rules) becomes wrapped up in the events, I too became drawn in.  The mood shifts are also done with well-balanced editing and pacing as we gradually learn the harsh realities of Short Term 12.  Later on we get the finale of Mason’s story, and let’s just say it gives us a much harsher outlook to the originally funny tale.

Please don’t take this as a sign that Short Term 12’s plot is all dark and grim; because that’s quite far from the truth.  The film deals with the harsher realities of life, yet is careful to never let the severity over take its mood.  Plenty of moments in Short Term 12 are sweet, hopeful, heart-wrenching, and beautiful.  If I were to describe this film in one word, I’d choose bittersweet; it’s got moments that are happy, sad, funny, dark, tranquil, violent, passionate, grim, heartbreaking, and heartwarming.  The great thing about this roller-coaster of emotions is it’s brilliantly paced and wisely planned.  Not a single moment felt out of place or badly timed; instead all coming together in wonderful blend of complementing emotions.  The opening and closing scenes are perfect examples of the film’s style; both are near identical in setting and effectiveness, yet very different in emotional sensation thanks to the above mentioned pacing/planning.

Of course the best from Short Term 12 stems from the plot, characters, and their moments; personal segments that could be wonderful short stories on their own.  One scene that truly stands out on its own was Jayden telling her shark and octopus story.  The tale (about an octopus who befriends a very hungry shark) becomes a clear metaphor for the girl’s distressing life at home; a way to call out for help when she mentally has no other way to do so.  The story is dark, disturbing, and a brilliant showcasing of the twisted realms of abuse; so much so that I was convinced it had to been taken from somewhere else…it wasn't.  This little masterpiece of a story came directly from Short Term 12, a wonderful film that dives into the darker situations of life with a bittersweet outlook and an array of strong emotions that I assure will strike a cord when viewing.