In “Short Term 12,” Grace (Brie Larson) appears to have everything under control in her job as a floor supervisor at a foster-care facility. When she’s showing the new floor supervisor, Nate (Rami Malek), the ropes, she speaks like a seasoned veteran who’s seen it all. When one of the foster kids makes a mad dash for the facility gates, Grace and the other floor supervisors springs into action, and the event is treated as business as usual.
The day-to-day life at the foster-care facility (known as Short Term 12) is a series of up-and-down moments, and writer-director Destin Cretton establishes this bustle in an intimate and natural way. Even though the movie specifically focuses on two of the foster kids, we get a taste of how all the kids interact with each another.
Like any other professional in a high-stress job, Grace knows exactly how to deal with the kids. On the one hand, she’s firm and authoritative when enforcing the ground rules (no sharp objects, drugs, etc.) or diffusing a serious moment (such as when one of the kids hits another with a bat). On the other hand, she’s also extremely caring and sensitive. Only in her early 20s, Grace is not much older than many of the foster kids, so she can still approach them at eye level.
She knows when to give the children their space, as well as when to go and talk to them. And when she does talk to them, it’s done in a casual, non-oppressive way, oftentimes just sitting on their bed with them, waiting for the right moment to begin the conversation. She’s patient, determined and, above all, passionate, ready to defend and help these kids until the very end.
Of course, the reason why Grace is so good at her job is because she herself was a victim of child abuse by her father and was foster child. So while she may be able to handle the lives of children at Short Term 12 with ease, she doesn’t quite know how to handle her own life. She tells the foster children to open up and talk about their feelings, but she herself hardly ever talks about her own troubles, even to her boyfriend and fellow Short Term 12 floor supervisor Mason (John Gallagher Jr.).
Working at Short Term 12 serves as an escape for her; she can relate to what the kids are going through, but it keeps her busy enough so she doesn’t need to think about her own damaged life.
At only 23, Larson gives one of the most genuine, multilayered performances of the year, and hopefully (much like Shailene Woodley in “The Spectacular Now” earlier this year), this will be the performance that puts her on everyone’s radar. She’s the center of “Short Term 12.”
Larson does a lot of fantastic body acting to convey Grace’s insecurities, hunching over or tucking herself into a ball, literally closing herself in, or picking at her finger when she’s especially anxious.
It also helps that the rest of the movie is pretty great, too. The story and the subject matter aren’t wholly original, and the movie doesn’t sound that interesting on paper, but it’s handled in a very straightforward and non-manipulative way.
The picture isn’t overly sentimental, but it also isn’t a complete downer, either. Cretton’s script seamlessly blends both drama and comedy. Even in the most dramatic or intense situations, he’s able to find humor, and vice versa.
“Short Term 12” is done without any melodrama, and its main focus is developing its characters, making them as authentic as possible so as to make their situations believable. Cretton also manages to end the film on a bittersweet, “life will go on” note.
Aside from the sheer level of authenticity and realism that Cretton achieves, the main reason to seek out “Short Term 12” is Larson. Without her powerful, understated performance, the film wouldn’t have been nearly as good.
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