Critic’s Pick: ‘Short Term 12′

Thelma Adams
·Writer

Must-See Movies Beyond the Blockbusters

"Short Term 12" is as close to a Mumblecore afterschool special as you're going to get – and, surprisingly, that's no diss. Honest and earnest, the winner of the Grand Jury Award for best narrative feature at South By Southwest has modest ambitions: what is it like in a group home for distressed teens and their caregivers? Not unexpectedly, it’s an emotional rollercoaster, an unmarked battleground of small victories and razor-etched defeats.

The movie's fulcrum is Grace (Brie Larson), the empathetic young house-mama at a foster care facility for teens in relatively short-term care, hence the title. Larson (TV’s “United States of Tara”) stares with doe eyes into the headlights of a major career, the first big chick looking to break out of Mumblecore since Greta Gerwig. Larson owns the movie without makeup, her hair limp, crawling inside the skin of this young woman trying to be fearless for others despite the weight of her own fears.

RELATED: Exclusive clip and interview: Brie Larson Grapples with 'Short Term 12' Realities

Grace isn't so many years older than her charges. On the side, she's sleeping with her sweetly schlubby co-worker Mason (John Gallagher Jr.) in a part crying for Paul Rudd in a bigger budgeted film. It slowly becomes clear that Grace's understanding of her kids in peril emerges from her own damaged past – a past that she has yet to fully integrate into her present relationship with Mason, and in setting boundaries for new angsty kid on the block, Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever).

In a shambling mode for an 80-minute feature, the drama circles around the ways in which damaged adults return to the scene of the crime as caregivers to damaged teens, for good and bad. If those in authority cannot entirely heal themselves, at least they can make it easier for the next generation, teasing out laughter, waiting out angry outbursts and getting the youths to make confessions that the adults may not even be able to articulate about their own lives.

RELATED: Brie Larson Takes Best Actress at Locarno Film Festival

The film succeeds by its simple storytelling technique – no explosions, no sweeping music signaling emotional peaks, no big reveals. It’s just unsuperhumans, young and not-as-young, dragging themselves through a day structured within institutional green walls, hoping to scratch out some joy and ward off the shadow of loneliness.

Like the film itself, small victories should be rewarded. Not every battle is "World War Z."

Bottom Line: A small film about troubled teens with enormous heart.

Watch the Trailer for "Short Term 12"

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • 1 YEAR LATER: Browns OT Dawand Jones talks Draft experience, motivation from falling into 4th round

    Last year, Jones was gearing up to enter the 2023 NFL Draft. His collegiate playing days were over, and the 6-foot-8, 374-pound offensive lineman was set to go pro.

  • Gen-Z sees the Gaza protests as their 1968 moment: ‘We built this on their legacy’

    An anti-war movement is spreading on college campuses across America and beyond. Protests have been met with police violence, mass arrests and an unbending political class — all of which have only fuelled the demonstrations further. A hot summer of protest looms, and the stage is set for a showdown at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, writes Richard Hall

  • Retired pro wrestler, failed congressional candidate indicted in Vegas murder case

    A retired professional wrestler and former congressional candidate in Nevada and Texas has been indicted on a murder charge in the death of an Idaho man who suffered a head injury during a Halloween Party at a Las Vegas Strip hotel. Daniel Rodimer, 45, who now lives in Texas, is expected to appear before a Nevada judge May 8 following his indictment Friday in the death of Christopher Tapp.

  • Canadian province will make changes to try to stop drug use in public places, premier says

    The government of the Canadian province of British Columbia is making changes to its drug discrimination policy to stop drug use in public places. Premier David Eby told a news conference Friday the province is asking the federal government to make illicit drug use illegal in all public spaces, including inside hospitals, on transit and in parks.

  • Ex-McKinsey partner sues firm, claims he was made opioids 'scapegoat'

    A former McKinsey & Co partner sued the global consulting firm on Friday and accused it of defaming him and making him a "scapegoat" to distract attention from its work advising OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and other manufacturers of opioid pain medications. Arnab Ghatak, who was fired in 2021, filed the lawsuit in New York state court just two days after Reuters and others reported that the U.S. Department of Justice was conducting a criminal investigation of McKinsey's role in the U.S. opioid epidemic. Part of that investigation concerns whether McKinsey obstructed justice, an inquiry related to McKinsey's disclosure that it had fired two partners who communicated about deleting documents related to their opioids work, people familiar with the matter said.

  • N.S. teachers to vote on tentative agreement next month

    A tentative contract agreement for Nova Scotia teachers will go to a vote at the end of next month.Ryan Lutes, president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, told members in an email Friday that details of the deal will be shared following a meeting with local presidents and regional representative council chairs on May 1.Information sessions will follow later next month, with the ratification vote set for May 22.Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston announced last week that the government and the union

  • Tulsa Scheels hosts community kick-off event

    Tulsa Scheels hosts community kick-off event

  • Okmulgee Family Wakes Up to Storm Damage

    Okmulgee Family Wakes Up to Storm Damage

  • Columbia’s senate calls for investigation into university president over reaction to Gaza protests

    The sentate voted on Friday to approve the resolution calling for an investigation on Friday, which was adopted by a vote of 62-14

  • Most drivers will pay $15 to enter busiest part of Manhattan starting June 30

    NEW YORK (AP) — The start date for the $15 toll most drivers will be charged to enter Manhattan's central business district will be June 30, transit officials said Friday. Under the so-called congestion pricing plan, the $15 fee will apply to most drivers who enter Manhattan south of 60th Street during daytime hours. Tolls will be higher for larger vehicles and lower for nighttime entries into the city as well as for motorcycles. The program, which was approved by the New York state Legislature

  • Paramedic sentenced to probation in 2019 death of Elijah McClain after rare conviction

    The sentencing Friday closes out the last of three trials around the death of Elijah McClain, an unarmed Black man.

  • UPDATE 1-Planemaker Embraer CEO says supply chain has been improving

    The chief executive of Brazil's Embraer said on Friday that supply chain issues impacting planemakers have been improving but some challenges remain. Francisco Gomes Neto told reporters at an event in Sao Jose dos Campos, where the company is based at, that Embraer is in a "very good place" right now after overcoming some difficult years. Embraer intends to invest some 2 billion reais ($390.9 million) in the country this year and hire over 900 people, Neto said at Friday's event alongside Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

  • Commanders pick Illinois DT Jer'Zhan Newton in second round of 2024 NFL draft

    Here’s what to know about DT Jer'Zhan Newton, who served as a team captain in 2023 and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

  • U.S. chip bans not meant to hobble China's growth, Blinken says

    U.S. export controls on sending advanced computing chips to China are not meant to hold back China's economy or technological development, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during an interview with National Public Radio on Friday. Since 2022, U.S. officials have imposed sweeping controls on which computing chips can be exported to China, cutting off some sales from Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices and Intel, among others. But U.S. officials have granted at least two U.S. companies - Intel and Qualcomm - licenses to keep shipping chips to Huawei, which is using an Intel chip to power a new laptop model.

  • CHURCH VANDALISM: Thieves do $100K worth of damage to A/C units

    CHURCH VANDALISM: Thieves do $100K worth of damage to A/C units

  • NFL Draft: Patriots pair 2nd round WR Ja'Lynn Polk with their new QB Drake Maye

    The Patriots have a new receiver to go with their new quarterback.

  • Jury Foreman Shocked, Angry Weinstein Conviction Was Tossed

    The Daily Beast/Courtesy of Bernard CodyThe court decision overturning Harvey Weinstein’s New York rape conviction came as a shock to victims, activists—and the man who was the foreman of the jury that found him guilty.“This decision is so unfair to the women that were hurt by [Weinstein],” Bernard Cody told The Daily Beast on Friday. “When our conviction happened, the women were so relieved it was over. And so were we. To take that away is awful.”Cody and his fellow jurors deliberated five days

  • Toronto greets Shohei Ohtani with loud boos after free agency snafu, Ohtani responds with HR

    Remember that day when everyone thought Ohtani was on a jet from Anaheim to Toronto? Blue Jays fans certainly do.

  • 10 Best Carfax Alternatives to Check Vehicle History

    In this article, we will look at the 10 best Carfax alternatives to check vehicle history. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Best Carfax Alternatives to Check Vehicle History. Carfax VS AutoCheck: A Comparative Analysis Vehicle history reports are essential when purchasing used cars. These reports use the […]

  • Take a look inside Chargers' draft room after trade with Patriots 'NFL Draft Center'

    Take a look inside Los Angeles Chargers' draft room after trade with the New England Patriots during "NFL Draft Center"