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Critics Consensus: Short Term 12 is an emphatic, revealing drama that pulls audiences into the perspective of neglected youths.
Critic Consensus: Short Term 12 is an emphatic, revealing drama that pulls audiences into the perspective of neglected youths.
All Critics (160) | Top Critics (42) | Fresh (157) | Rotten (3) | DVD (1)
Set in a foster-care facility outside of San Francisco, this independent drama is vivid and heartfelt in its depiction of social work, at times recalling some of Frederick Wiseman's great documentary portraits.
The film's climax feels a little rushed and overwrought, but the movie's real resonance is its exploration of empathy and vocation.
At times Short Term 12 seems uncertain where it's going, but this matches the circumstances of both staff and residents.
There's heart, soul and personality to burn in 'Short Term 12' ... But this is a film that, like many of its young characters, desperately needs to calm down.
"Short Term 12" is a sly wonder of a film. It brings you into its unique world and then slowly reveals its characters, letting them unfold gradually, organically.
It's one of the best movies of the year and one of the truest portrayals I've ever seen about troubled teens and the people who dedicate their lives to trying to help them.
That sputtering noise you hear in the nobly intentioned, intermittently moving Short Term 12 is the sound of feminism backfiring as it meets screenplay formulas.
... a rare, unmissable gem; yes, it's a showcase for its stunning performers and necessary story, but it also pushes us to look at our own emotions, experiences, and relationships in the process ...
This feel-everything drama is one of those honest and intimate scripts that come out of nowhere to say something incredibly meaningful and memorable.
Moving into darker territory where the mumblecore milieu would never venture, Short Term 12 offers a much-needed corrective to the indie-darling set-particularly in its curiously optimistic ending.
[Larson] delivers a character that feels achingly human, and she does it brilliantly.
Cinematic without belying its "slice of life" vibe, emotionally enveloping without being saccharine, and wonderfully acted across the board.
A delicate and complex character study that never romanticizes what it wants so say, being instead very down to earth in its approach to show us how an underprivileged childhood can create emotionally fractured adults whose uncured issues won't simply go away with time.
Super Reviewer
The foster care system is the most flawed institution in the United States, which is disheartening as many of the children in said system deal with abuse, loneliness, and mental health issues. "Short Term 12" comprises everyday goings on of a facility for kids who live between homes and the street, and the workers who help them. At the crux of the film is Grace (Larson) who leads the facility's workers and helps kids while also dealing with her own life. It's really quite sweet that Grace and her boyfriend Mason (Gallagher) have fragmented childhoods, and so they have to (rather than want to) help ease the pain of these children and the problems they face. In comparison is a college worker who would like to help, but doesn't know where to start. The performances from the child actors in this film are nothing short of astounding. Brie Larson commands complete presence onscreen, as Grace, a multi-faceted basket case who is always trying to do better, but inevitably has to fight her demons. This is a really sweet, funny, heartfelt film dealing with big issues in a sensitive and thoughtful way, which makes it highly recommendable.
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Usually I avoid "indies", if specifically promoted that way, but here the plot sounded interesting enough. Barring some of its cliches and forced drama, it was watchable enough, if not interesting enough. Once watchable. Once watchable. In all fairness, 2/5.
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