A 20-something supervising staff member of a foster care facility navigates the troubled waters of that world alongside her co-worker and longtime boyfriend.
Brie Larson is terrific as a woman in charge of a foster care unit in an earnest character study, nicely nuanced despite a slight tendency to overexplain.
Short Term 12 is a miracle of a movie. Beautifully written and perfectly played, all of human life is here: the good, the bad, the messy and the uplifting.
The lead character’s called Grace, but don’t be put off: Cretton’s tough-love snapshot of shattered youth is achingly moving rather than manipulative or mawkish.
Well-crafted and cleverly written.
Well intentioned, but somehow inauthentic.
Sharp, witty, heartfelt, sad, inspiring.
It’s a jagged film at times, not always fully fleshed out, as it strays dangerously towards melodrama. But as a stepping stone for both Larson and Cretton, it leaves you tantalised as to what they’ll do next.
The kids are sensitively drawn, if a little pick-and-mix in terms of their issues and ethnicities, and the whole movie breathes with kindness and intelligence.
It’s a jagged film at times, not always fully fleshed out, as it strays dangerously towards melodrama. But as a stepping stone for both Larson and Cretton, it leaves you tantalised as to what they’ll do next.
Brie Larson interview: 'I just wanted to do weird stuff'
Brie Larson
General release. Check local listings for show times.