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source: Short Term 12

It's not just the residents in this home that are damaged. To some degree, the staff comes here with their own life experiences that are just as damaging as those they care for. Maybe being damaged is what attracts people to the work - I certainly saw it often in psychology and counseling classes. Grace (Brie Larson), the supervisor, is certainly dealing with a damaged past. It is probably what makes her good at her job, but it does cause her problems. It's balancing the two that makes one successful. Cutting, anger, withdrawal, are all things you will see in these children/young adults. They are manifestations of their unnatural upbringing. Marcus (Keith Stanfield) is terrified at the prospect of going out on his own. Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever) guards her secret past, while Grace tries to pry it open. Every day is a challenge, and the worst part is not ever knowing if you were successful.

It is not hyperbole. I love this movie . This movie is so me that the Actress and I share the same name. This is a pure film , beautiful , well written , well acted , subtle , and funny. Yes . Funny as hell , in that indie film going to Sundance kind of way. Grace ( Brie Larson) is a troubled young woman . A woman for whom life has not been easy . She chooses to not hide from that pain but to embrace it , I think without even realizing it , by working and loving other people that are also troubled. Her job as little boss of the Short Term 12 center has her face to face with realities of life. Her relationship with another worker Mason ( John Gallagher Jr) who was also a foster child also runs in that " hiding in plain sight" pattern. In one week Grace finds that she is pregnant, is about to lose one of her charges to "aging out" of the system and meets a near mirror image to her self as a youth she quietly begins to lose her grip. She has never fully revealed to Mason, for instance , the depth of her pain . As it becomes clear , to us if not to her , that holding in the pain of her childhood continues to hurt her she is confronted by tragedy. Marcus ( Keith Stanfield) tries to commit suicide after the death of his pet fish. After that we finally know all the truth of Grace and why she is who she is. It isn't heavy handed it just is. Like real life . I don't know how to end this except to say the following: GO SEE THIS MOVIE . see it now , when it is under the radar or see it in January after the Oscar nominations come rolling in for this quiet and beautiful film.

This has to be the most banal screenplay since 'Attack of the Killer Tomatoes' in 1956. Every single element of this production is main stream, manufactured, formulaic drivel. If you have a mind then please exercise it more by watching paint dry - it will be far more enthralling. The kids are not really kids but young adults trying to play them. The carers are also all young adults pretending to be mature. But genuine human reactions are either simply ignored or more probably not even understood by the cast or production team. For example in one scene, where a very disturbed adolescent is robbed of his treasured toys, the carers simply sit next to him and sympathize with words or a touch on the shoulder. He is plainly distressed but no one thinks of giving him a cuddle or a tickle to make him laugh or at least smile. It is as if real human care doesn't exist anymore - and had that been the them of the film it would have been more interesting. But as it is the film seems to project the media comfortable image that modern child care is entirely healthy and that all we need to do is tell the kids they can achieve anything they want in life given the right effort. What utter rubbish. Avoid at all costs.

Incredibly natural in its approach, wonderfully balanced from start to finish & further solidified by a convincing ensemble performances, Short Term 12 tells the story of Grace, a very caring & capable supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers. There are three story lines that emerge from this film; one is about Marcus, a quiet kid who's about to turn eighteen but doesn't want to leave the facility, the second plot line is about Jayden, a troubled teenage girl who's the latest member of the club. And the final & main plot line is about Grace herself, whose past returns to haunt her after meeting Jayden with whom she shares a connection plus the unexpected surprise she discovers that can have a major impact on her future, thus leaving her utterly confused with everything about her life. The entire cast has given a brilliant performance, but it's Brie Larson who impresses the most as Grace and the film manages to portray her toughness & fragility evocatively. The locations are very lifelike, the entire film has a very calm & relaxed atmosphere for which the shooting location is responsible for, editing is finely done & it is smartly written & directed. On an overall scale, Short Term 12 is one of those dramas that are heartwarming & heartbreaking at the same time that will have you go through every emotion you're capable of and dares to deal with issues most people or families aren't very comfortable viewing or discussing about.

This film offers no innovation. No theme depicted in it , is something we haven't already seen. And even if you skip this, it still is prone to criticism negatively. The direction , meaning the camera angles and motions is fine ( i guess). Cinematography is Documentary -style , not very pleasant and entertaining. The script or plot or story , is indifferent, amateur , hipsterish , and weak. The lead actors aren't right for this kind of film , maybe cause they're too young. But the whole plot is just bad. A group home with a couple of troubled teenagers and a couple adults running the show. So what? The way the film develops , no development happens in a way to make you care for whatever you're watching. I didn't care about these people , and the things that happened to them. Instead of caring , i got bored and wanted this film to end. And i wouldn't be that harsh a critic if this movie had a lower rating. Maybe a 6.5 rating , which makes it decent and indifferent which is exactly what it is ( not that there aren't movies i find great with a 6.5 rating , just speaking of average) But lately the newer movies , get high ratings easily. Over 8 , means the movie is pretty much a masterpiece. This one is far from that. Assume you've been warned people. Cheers !

I will have to agree with the boredom rating of this film. It's one of those films that does well at festivals because viewers tend to soak up aspects wholeheartedly in that type of setting whereas home viewing does not, i can put something else on, and although I endeavored to watch it to the end, like all films, I was not enthralled. Its slow, and boring, with so much music rolling over every scene. It may be an indie film but it is definitely not a cult classic, there is just nothing to 'love' about it, and by definition alone a cult needs to be loved or at least liked and this film will just not reach that kind of status. Why? The acting - Great, but hardly off the wall to make it cultist in the slightest. The story - Hardly avant-garde, not thought provoking, slow, depressing, infuriating... clearly the ingredients for a spellbound time...? lacking cultishness, obviously. But in the end its a story that has been told before, of an ineffective system and it's tiring watching weak people in a bad system. The filming - Its not groundbreaking, in fact its so late 90's its not even original. Music - incessant, and unflinching in trying to keep the tone lighthearted. Short Term 12 doesn't come close to holding a candle to the likes of "12 Years a Slave", "Gravity" or "Her". The days of slow paced Oscar winners was not for 2014, and rightfully so. If "Rush" wasn't getting a nomination, or "Stoker" then I hardly see it fit to garnish one to a mediocre drama that shows more pros for indifference than excellence.

I read all the reviews I could find about this movie before I decided to go to see it. Given that the vast majority of the reviews I read gave the film a very positive thumbs up, I was expecting something at least above average. Sadly, it turns out to be a very ham-fisted affair with 'the message' being hammered into you in a way that leaves you wishing that you'd chosen to scrape old paint off a chair in the rain outside in November rather than watch this. Irrespective of the 'novelty' of the subject matter, clichés abound here. The whispered scenes to show 'sincerity' between the characters (when oh when will directors realize that no people - no people on Earth - speak that way in real life?). Long, lingering scenes of the principal character (I watched for the full 97 minutes and never even bothered to listen to find out whatever her name is) in the shower cleansing away 'the pain'. And an innumerable number of scenes where someone whispers, 'We really need to talk about this...' 'You have no idea what I'm going through right now...' 'I can't help you if you won't let me in...' And as for the kid choosing to slash his wrists at 1 hour 15...man, having given this film that much of my time, I understood exactly why he did that. All in all, I feel I wasted my time watching this. The only thing I can say to potential viewers of this film is...well...don't.

Greetings again from the darkness. "An indie gem" is meant to be a term of respect for a little movie that manages to make an emotional connection, usually while being screened at a film festival or in a very limited and brief theatrical run. The best ones drive us to encourage everyone we know to take the time to see it. Such is writer/director Destin Cretton's latest. Some movies offer a promising premise and then let us down with faulty execution. Short Term 12 is actually better than its premise would lead you to expect. Credit goes to Mr. Cretton's quasi-documentary directorial style, tremendous acting from support characters played by John Gallagher Jr (Mason), Kaitlyn Dever (Jayden), and Keith Stanfield (Marcus), and a stunning lead performance from rising star Brie Larson (Grace). Grace and Mason help run a foster care facility. We witness first hand their daily work with the kids, some of it quite mundane ... though other moments incredibly powerful. Grace and Marcus have their own personal connections to this way of life, and also happen to be in a relationship that seems built on avoiding the communication and connection that goes into their daily jobs. The use of art as a communication device plays a role throughout. Marcus uses his rap lyrics, newcomer Jayden draws and writes children's stories. These two kids are particularly important because they also mirror the inner sanctum of Mason and Grace, and we see these people all battle demons in hope of living a "normal" life. This is not a story of saints and sinners ... these are just people coming to grip with the deck they've been dealt. You will recognize Gallagher from his work on HBO's "Newsroom", and Dever made quite an impression in her time on "Justified". Larson's star is on the rise thanks to her presence in The Spectacular Now and Don Jon, as well as some upcoming projects. She IS what critics have been trying make Greta Gerwig ... an actress who breathes life into character we feel we know.