Movie Review: Short Term 12

By Less Lee Moore

Short Term 12 opens and closes with a group of counselors relaxing outside the at-risk youth foster care facility where they work. Mason (John Gallagher, Jr.) shares a humorous story while Grace (Brie Larson), one of the female counselors, seems skeptical of Mason’s ability to convey the story accurately and without embellishments. They are soon interrupted by Sammy, a resident trying to run away as fast as he can. These bookends hold a lot of emotional wreckage between them, but also indicate that despite all the suffering, life can and does go on and in some cases, does get better.

We are awed by how well Grace and Mason embrace these kids emotionally, never pushing too hard, never just going through the motions of the job. They reveal themselves gradually throughout the film, and as we learn of what brought them there, things slowly fall into place: this is why they’re so good at what they do. It’s a tenuous line between serving as a role model and a guide but not a therapist or a parent; how do you reveal your own scars to a kid without being pulled down into their vortex of pain and suffering?

There are a lot of emotionally naked moments in Short Term 12. Marcus’s rap about his mother and his reaction to a haircut; Jayden’s sarcasm and struggles to be understood and the way she and Grace can be open with each other; Mason begging Grace to share what’s in her head with him and her attempts to deal with it on her own terms.

On the other hand, some parts of Short Term 12 feel forced and clichéd. The music by Joel P. West is reminiscent of the kind of orchestral pop used in car and cell phone commercials, and plays like it’s been calculated to make us feel something. The scene with Grace angrily trying to convince her boss Jack that Jayden is being abused comes across as heavy-handed. Grace repeats things we’ve already figured out and Jack’s responses are not much better than an episode of Law & Order: SVU.

Still, the overwhelming effect of Short Term 12 is one of exceptional performances and an unfiltered look at not only how families can go so very wrong but also how families can be found in unexpected places. It’s a touching and uplifting experience.

Short Term 12 opens tonight at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and screens through November 21. It will also screen at Toronto’s Kingsway Theater from November 22 – 28, at Carlton Cinemas from November 29 – December 5, and at the Royal Cinema from December 6 – 10. For more screening locations and times, visit the Films We Like website.