Short Term 12

Written and directed by Destin Cretton, Short Term 12 follows Brie Larson’s Grace, a foster-care staff member, as she’s forced to confront a variety of personal issues in the wake of a troubled new arrival (Kaitlyn Dever’s Jayden). Filmmaker Cretton has infused Short Term 12 with a deliberately-paced and low-key feel that proves an ideal match for his subdued screenplay, with the early part of the movie devoted mostly to the various happenings within the title care facility (eg the staff prepares to say goodbye to one of their charges, Grace confronts her boss over a bureaucratic issue, etc). It’s interesting stuff that’s perhaps not quite as engrossing as one might’ve hoped, and yet there’s little doubt that the film benefits substantially from the pervasively authentic atmosphere – with this vibe perpetuated and heightened by the efforts of a uniformly strong cast. (Larson’s absolutely mesmerizing performance is matched by an impressive supporting cast that features, among others, John Gallagher Jr., Keith Stanfield, and Rami Malek.) There’s little doubt, then, that Short Term 12 improves steadily as it progresses, with Cretton’s growing emphasis on Grace’s personal issues, ie her increasingly compelling relationship with Dever’s Jayden, paving the way for an impressively captivating second half. (It doesn’t hurt, either, that Cretton has peppered this portion of the movie with several unexpectedly moving interludes, including a riveting sequence in which Jayden reads a disturbing self-penned story to Grace.) By the time the effective (and affecting) final stretch rolls around, Short Term 12 has definitively established itself as an engaging, emotional little drama that bodes well for Cretton’s future endeavors.

***1/2 out of ****