Date of release - 23 August 2013 (USA)
Director - Destin Daniel Cretton
Actors and Roles - Grace (Brie Larson), Mason (John Gallagher Jr.), Nate (Rami Malek), Jessica (Stephanie Beatriz), Marcus (Keith Stanfield), Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), Luis (Kevin Hernandez), Sammy (Alex Calloway)
Nation of Production - USA
Budget - Less than $1 Million
Revenue - $1.6 Million Box Office
It's Nate's first day as a staff member at Short Term 12, a group home for troubled teenagers. Within the first few minutes he experiences a typical occurrence involving a kid trying to escape the confinements of the home. Counselors Grace, Mason and Jessica share anecdotes of past events to ease him into his duties.
Grace is the most accomplished counselor at the home. She supervises and monitors all the activities at Short Term 12. Grace lives with Mason, her coworker and boyfriend. Grace's tenure at the home has allowed her to develop a close bond with many of the teens, specifically Marcus. Grace and Mason work together to console Marcus who is turning 18, and as decided by the state, is required to leave the home. Marcus is dreading being released for fear of ending up with his abusive mother.
While balancing her work and personal life, Grace visits a clinic to confirm that she's pregnant. The test results are positive, prompting her to schedule an abortion. Eventually, Grace reassesses the pregnancy and decides to tell Mason, the father. Mason is initially shocked by the news, but he comforts Grace and affirms that they're going to be amazing parents.
Jayden is a recent arrival at Short Term 12. Grace immediately forms a connection with Jayden despite her abrasive and passive aggressive attitude. Jayden acts similarly towards her peers at the home, reminding them that she's a temporary visitor. On Jayden's birthday, her dad doesn't show up resulting in a major outburst. Grace manages to talk her down. Later, they spend some time in the "cool down" room. There Grace shares her injuries due to self-mutilation. Jayden seems to have settled down, but after birthday celebrations finalize, she leaves the group home. Grace follows her all the way to her dad's home, where he is nowhere to be found. Later that night, Jayden reads Grace a story she's written. Grace comes to the realization that Jayden's father is abusive and intently works to remove Jayden from his care.
Mason's foster parents host a party. Surrounded by all his foster siblings, he proposes to Grace and she accepts. The morning after the pair are awoken by news that Grace's dad is being released from prison. Her past quickly merges with her present, resulting in an emotionally distressed Grace. Mason tries to console her but Grace isolates herself.
At work that morning Grace learns that Jayden was taken by her father. She barges into her boss's room, wondering how they could be so careless. The day's events grow gloomier when she finds Marcus has attempted suicide after the death of his fish.
While waiting at the hospital to hear about Marcus, Grace breaks down. Mason, again, tries to get her to open up, but Grace responds by fleeing. She returns to Jayden's father's home. There, Jayden stops Grace before she injures her dad while he sleeps. They opt to destroy his car instead.
Grace divulges that she was sexually abused by her father. Jayden reveals her bruises and officially reports her dad for physical abuse. Grace goes home and apologizes to Mason. On the same note he confirms that Marcus will recover.
Weeks later, the counselors are all in good spirits, huddled around the front of Short Term 12. Grace is seeing a therapist. Mason tells the staff that Marcus has a girlfriend and is doing well.
On a social level, Short Term 12 is a movie about the displaced kids in Western culture who are trivialized, treated as mere statistics and often times, as a result, marginalized. It delves into their stories, particularly the way in which growing up surrounded by instability and abuse shapes their more mature lives. The primary story is told from the perspective of Grace, a young woman, fastidiously taking care of foster kids, in an attempt to forget about her own demons.
Grace's dedication to her work is apparent from beginning to end. In fact, her meticulous involvement is the reason why a viewer senses that Grace relates to these kids on a deeper level.
There is a shot of Grace in her office in front of a whiteboard that features the names of all the kids in her care along with their corresponding feeling levels and daily schedules. The chart is multicolored and detailed demonstrating the constant effort she takes to update it.
The joint group scenes reinforce her as an authoritative figure whom the teens respect. Grace doesn't treat them as the menaces to society they've been written off as, instead she's playful and loving, ultimately garnering their trust.
Despite being proactive in the lives of these teens, Grace is quiet and introverted. Throughout the movie there are several shots of Grace messing with her thumb. As the story progresses, this mannerism can be construed as a nervous reactionary twitch towards events that hit close to home.
It also resembles a coping mechanism. Grace reveals that she has self-mutilated in the past. Picking at the thumb is a less severe form of mutilation. As she's aged, she may have developed behavioral changes that allow her to cope with disturbing thoughts while inflicting minimal damage to her body.
Grace's past demons manifest gradually within the narrative. After an unwanted pregnancy, she quietly visits a clinic to schedule an abortion. Her immediate desire to abort speaks to a number of things, principally, an inherent belief that she isn't fit to be a parent. Given her clear passions for dealing with kids, this reaction towards being a mother would have come to fruition as a result of a deeply traumatic event. The nurse responsible for delivering the results further proves this emotional trauma when she inquires if Grace has been pregnant in the past. Grace answers to the affirmative, reservedly and uncomfortable. With this, the first sign that she may have been sexually abused, presents itself.
The pregnancy news seems to trigger a whirlwind of bad memories for Grace. From that moment on, a series of minor incidents eventually lead her to divulge the truth about her past.
Jayden, a 15 year old girl, new to the home, was the secondary catalyst that sparked the emotional reaction. Right from the beginning, it is apparent that Grace relates to Jayden. There's a push and pull dynamic between them, consistent in characters with similar personalities. Grace has prior knowledge about Jayden's hard-to-handle behavior but that doesn't intimidate her. Instead, she tries to connect with Jayden and show her kindness, something she's probably unaccustomed to.
Initially, Grace's reasons for the preoccupation over Jayden was unbeknownst to the audience as well as Grace, herself. She wasn't consciously aware that Jayden had troubles with abuse, as that information had yet to be revealed. But, on a subconscious level, Grace recognized the warning signs and tried to befriend Jayden.
We later learn, that Jayden's dad mistreats her. This infuriates Grace, more so than her own boss. Further evidence that Grace has been abused comes to light. This time, the traumatic events can be affiliated directly to her own father.
Grace's issues culminate when Jayden's life is endangered. Upon hearing that Jayden was sent back to her father Grace rushes for her aid. They make amends and in an honest reveal, Grace tells Jayden that she was sexually abused by her own father. Now sympathizing with Grace on a deeper lever, Jayden tells Grace the one thing she needed to hear:
With all their shared similarities, it was as if Grace's younger self was speaking directly to her, telling her it's okay to move on with life. In that moment, Grace's expression is one of enlightenment.
Jayden, the young girl she rescued from continued abuse, has in turn enabled Grace to take a positive step towards her own recovery.
Marcus is another teen focused on in Short Term 12. He is turning 18, the legal adult age, but in so many ways he's still a scared boy because his childhood was stolen from him by his abusive mother.
The scars of that trauma are internalized deeply and have resulted in aggressive behavior. He is non-confrontational, until tested. When his past is brought up or used to mock him he takes immediate offense and reacts. Such was the case during a scene in the beginning of the film where a new member, Nate, introduces himself and unintentionally refers to the kids as "underprivileged". Marcus, initially quiet, lashes out and reprimands Nate for being so careless with his words.
In this one moment Marcus's insecurities are brought to the forefront and his reaction signifies just how much his past affects his present.
This is not the only moment Marcus displays anger. He is often teased by a younger colleague, Luis. It's comparable to sibling rivalry, but things get violent when Luis brings up Marcus's mother. This pattern of behavior when reminded of his past, continues.
Marcus has a delicate side to him. This characteristic is most exemplified in the scenes where he's seen feeding his pet fish.
This type of contrast is true for most characters in the story. Their inner chaos is offset by a zen activity. It's their way of finding peace in their often unbearable mind.
and Luis creates collages of his many families.
These hobbies symbolize home. They can focus all their energy on the activities knowing with certainty that it can't be taken away or displaced. It can't abandon or abuse them. Not like a mother, father or sibling. They're simple relics and talents that can be used anywhere in order to feel less alone.
The acting in Short Term 12 pays special emphasis to realism. Character dialogue is naturalistic and logical in regards to the contemporary environment in which the story unfolds. Quiet looks and hyper-active hand gestures comprise a great majority of the shots. This deliberate technique subtly expresses the pain felt by the characters within the story.
Brie Larson employs this tactic and excels as the lead. She manages to astutely portray Grace as a deeply damaged individual through more than just dialogue.
Larson affords the character of Grace a disheveled walk, a downward gaze and a hunched and defeated demeanor, all features belonging to victims of abuse. She is honest with her portrayal, and as such, humanizes the character. In doing so she offers some semblance of what it's like to live an unbalanced life marked by tragedy.
Words are often hard to come by and cannot quite convey what an abused individual has endured. A person's deadening stare paired with glossy eyes speaks volumes. As Marcus recites in his rap:
In a way, this verse describes the entire narrative of Short Term 12. A short, but precise, look into the lives of abandoned children.
Available to watch on Netflix.
