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Short Term 12
2013 96 min United States of America R 18+
★8.1
Drama
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Trailers
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Teaser
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Description
Grace, a compassionate young supervisor at a foster care facility, helps at-risk teens. But when a new charge dredges up memories of her own troubled past, Grace's tough exterior begins eroding.
Budget:
$1M
US Gross:
$1.01M
Worldwide:
$1.65M
Starring
Brie Larson
Actor
Frantz Turner
Actor
John Gallagher Jr.
Actor
Awards
37 wins & 72 nominations total
Key opinion
Short Term 12 is widely praised for its empathetic, grounded portrayal of life within a residential treatment facility for troubled youth. While most critics laud the performances and the film's ability to balance heavy trauma with hope and humor, a minority find the narrative too simplistic or overly sentimental.
| Acting | Brie Larson anchors the film with a raw, naturalistic performance that captures the complexity of a caregiver wrestling with her own buried trauma. | |
| Direction | The direction avoids exploitative melodrama, opting instead for a non-depressive, hopeful tone that treats the characters with profound humanity. | |
| Screenplay | The script effectively uses metaphor and small, intimate storytelling moments—such as the octopus and shark tale—to give voice to the children's experiences. | |
| Cinematography | The visual style utilizes a handheld, muted aesthetic that reinforces the film's raw, independent spirit without feeling overly stylistic. | |
| Acting | Opinions on the character dynamics are divided: some find the connection between the leads authentic, while others feel John Gallagher Jr.'s portrayal of Mason is unnaturally perfect or lacks sufficient depth. | |
| Screenplay | The narrative structure polarizes viewers; supporters admire its character-driven focus, while detractors argue the plot is circular, overly simplistic, or lacks sufficient context regarding the bureaucratic environment. | |
| Humor | The film's tonal balance is contested, with some finding the mixture of humor and tragedy refreshing and others feeling the lighthearted elements trivialize the serious subject matter. |