The first half of Short Term 12 plays like an after school special. Ok, here are some foster kids with problems … they’ve probably been abused. Gosh, they have issues, don’t they? Uh oh, there goes “super kid” trying to escape again. That’s right, tell us the rules: this is a temporary home. The people who run it are young. Too young … and probably all called this place home at one point themselves. If the inmates manage to make it to the street, they’re untouchable. Until that sacred ground, however, they can’t be jerks or smuggle contraband items (like scissors!) or they lose a privilege. Their time is occupied with mind-numbing activities to inspire camaraderie. So it’s like military boarding school, only not as fun.
The after school special part is wrapped in the antiseptic feel for the inmates. We explore their world through head counselor Grace (Brie Larson) who has a very “such is life” attitude. Yes, yes, you’re a schizophrenic; you set fire to things; you’re allergic to beets; we all have our burdens. It’s not that she doesn’t care; she’s just the camp counselor who has seen it all before. There’s something awful in a college-aged girl who is already world weary. But that doesn’t really matter. We investigate her life. At work, she’s very even keel– hey, no running, no porn. She takes mild amusement in sharing stories of co-workers. At home, she lives with fellow counselor Mason (John Gallagher Jr.); she is having sex with him, but keeps him at arm’s length all the same. Do we chalk this up to his immaturity or hers?
The arrival of Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever) brings out the paranoid foster kid in Grace. You know, the one that went missing in Act I. “Ahhhh, the good old days when I hated the world. *sigh*” Jayden has
gotten to the stage of her life where everyone is an asshole – always a fan favorite—and Grace has to find the Jayden who can embrace life again all while trying not be sucked into her own hate vortex. It sounds more cliché than it plays out. OTOH, this is exactly what’s going on – there are two people of note in this film and each one is trying to pull the other into her world of extremes.
I’m not sure why all the love for Short Term 12. It’s not as moving or personal as either of the recent peers Girl, Interrupted or It’s Kind of a Funny Story. Mostly, the film plays like a poor-man’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – a mixed assortment of colorful inmates and a focal hero(ine) with issues just not as intense or involved. I mean, these are lives, but you get the feeling the two girls we care about are going to be OK, especially as their individual antagonists never appear conscious on screen. If nothing else, however, it establishes Brie Larson as a face you’re going to be seeing on screen for many, many years to come. Wish her luck.
Our heroine has found her happy place
Guiding foster children, an ideal chase
A newbie then shows
Kindling past woes
Getting over daddy will require some Grace
Rated R, 96 Minutes
D: Destin Daniel Cretton
W: Destin Daniel Cretton
Genre: Welcome to Brie Larson
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Empathetic teens
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Pollyannas
