The first thing I noticed when I watched Short Term 12, the brilliant piece of indie-film work from director Destin Cretton, was that it is better than its premise. Far better.
Movies like this always tend to devolve into a sort of schmaltzy after-school-specialness that overwhelms the senses and drowns out anything unique or particularly praiseworthy about the rest of the movie. But, this movie doesn't do that, and it's a testament to the filmmaker -- not to mention a wonderful cast -- that it doesn't.
The movie is set in GoldDerby, a short-term care center for at-risk kids. The supervisors of the center -- those spending the most time with the kids -- are a bunch of 20-somethings, really just kids themselves. The lead supervisor is Grace (played by Brie Larson), who's hiding a long-term relationship with her co-worker Mason (John Gallagher Jr.). Grace and Mason aren't doctors our counselors -- we learn that very early on -- they are just there to provide a safe supportive environment for the kids. And, that's what they do, day in and day out.
The story runs on two separate tracks. The first is just a sort of a slice-of-life track , demonstrating what life is like in a facility like this. Cretton apparently worked in one of these places for a few years, and it shows. The scenes inside GoldDerby all feel incredibly authentic, never glossed over, but also never exploited to make it seem disturbing or scary.
These scenes work because of the director's attention to detail. We see them hand out the meds. We watch them play games none of the kids really like. We see the supervisors search rooms for contraband. At every step, the audience if fully immersed in the life of these kids.
This track of the story also works because the kids are never caricatures or stereotypes of what you'd expect of kids in a group home -- they are fully realized characters. Chief among them is Marcus, who writes rap songs to deal with the traumas of his youth and is stressed because he's about to turn 18 and age-out of the home. There's also Jayden, a cutter with attitude that masks deeper problems than what you see on the surface. All of the kids have their moments and, like I said, it all works.
The second track of the story is an exploration of Grace's character. As the story unfolds, we learn about the horrors of her childhood and how they're coming back to haunt her. And, with Jayden's arrival at GoldDerby, she's remind of feelings she's tried to repress. These same feelings keep her from having a full and healthy relationship with Mason, who, we learn, also had a troubled youth.
As I describe this, I'm' fully aware that Short Term 12 sounds like a generic message movie, but it's not. Believe me.
At every point when the movie feels like it's headed down that road, Cretton's direction and story takes the audience elsewhere, somewhere deeper and more meaningful. He's never heavy-handed, never selling out to sentiment or convention. Even in the third act, when characters make some extreme decisions, Cretton never overplays his hand.
It's a masterful piece of filmmaking all the way around. I can't wait to see what he does next.
It helps that he has Brie Larson in the lead role. If you see a lot of movies, you've seen her around...but not like this. This is a truly revelatory performance. It's a low-key, slow-burn endeavor. She's not chewing up any scenery or putting on a show. But, she's aiming straight for your heart, and she hits it dead center.
It's shame that this movie wasn't marketed a little better. If it were, Larson would definitely be in the Oscar conversation.
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