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Where is the Love, Academy?

Posted : 10 months, 3 weeks ago on 8 May 2023 05:18

Short Term 12 is one of those overlooked films that if you blink, it will be gone by the time you open your eyes. Being released in the last week of August doesn't help matters. Anyhow, this small indie is utterly fantastic and is the best film of 2013. The realism plays a huge factor and so does the excellent screenplay, acting, and directing. Maybe this film will open eyes to those who have little knowledge about abused children in who are sent to group homes. This film is about character and emotion, good and painful emotions.

This film is about life through the eyes of Grace, a twenty-something counselor at a group home who suffered from the same thing the children she takes care of does. She has a long-term relationship with a co-worker named Mason. But when one troubled girl named Jayden shows up, her life immediately begins to unravel.

The acting is fantastic, especially Brie Larson. She should have been nominated for Best Actress. She adds soul to her character and the film does a good job in showing her character's dark past piece by piece. The film does feature other fine performances, namely John Gallagher Jr. as Mason, but no one comes close to Brie's fierce performance.

Overall, Short Term 12 is an excellent film and a criminally underseen movie. This film is so realistic, one could almost view the movie as a documentary. But alas, this is the most powerful film of the year and that happens out of conversations and minimalistic action, which is a near impossible feat. Too bad this film was ignored by the Academy, because it deserved a boatload of nominations. I rate this film 10/10.


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A very good movie

Posted : 5 years, 8 months ago on 17 July 2018 09:57

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie but since I have a weak spot for Brie Larson, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, eventually, I was seriously impressed by the damned thing and I'm not surprised that it gave Larson's deserved breakthrough. The first thing I enjoyed was the fact they didn't give a tedious introduction to make sure that the viewers understood what was going on. Sure, Rami Malek was playing a new employee on his first day so they gave him a few tips, obviously, to still informed somehow the viewers but, fortunately, they didn't focus too much on his character. Anyway, the way they presented this foster-care facility felt so realitisc and, very often, it felt like watching a fascinating documentary. I have to admit that I did struggle a little bit with how much time they spent on the private life of the co-workers and, to be honest, I don't think that someone with so much personal baggage like the main character was actually really suited for this kind of job. On the other hand, it was really interesting to see someone so damaged who has decided to help such kids in need until she got to the point that she couldn't handle anymore the pressure because her work reminded her that she should also face her own demons. Anyway, to conclude, it was a very strong and realistic drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Ā Ā 


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Short Term 12

Posted : 6 years, 11 months ago on 20 April 2017 04:24

We could have easily descended into emotional bathos and clichĆ©d ā€œhope and love winsā€ triumph of spirit stuff in Short Term 12, but we skirt past it. Oh, thereā€™s a few spots where the machinations are in place to edge us towards that, but the remarkable work from an incredibly talented cast keeps it all real. Sometimes too painfully real, but these moments of bruised emotional connection are what make the film so magical and healing.

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These kids come from rough spots, and two main facility managers understand their pains all too intimately. The story primarily concerns the lives of several of the kids and the managers, but as the film goes on it hones in on the connection between two of them. Thereā€™s Grace (Brie Larson, god sheā€™s just so good), the facility manager with the deep understanding and empathetic connection with these kids, and new arrival Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), a 14-year-old with a similar background to Grace.

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Grace and Jayden take to each other slowly, and the scene where Jayden will eventually reveal the abuse she endures from her father is one that we know is coming, but not the particulars. Where Short Term 12 goes so beautifully right in this scene, as just one example, is how it manages to pack in character exposition and development in a way that feels grounded and real. Jayden doesnā€™t just verbally vomit up her confession, but presents it to Grace in the form of a fairy tale thatā€™s emotionally devastating for in the ways that itā€™s both obliquely symbolic and metaphorically terrifying.

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Thereā€™s several more scenes like this, perhaps no two more emotional cathartic or devastating than those involving Keith Stanfieldā€™s Marcus. In one he sits with Mason (John Gallagher Jr., able to mine his role for laughs and quiet support) and delivers a rap detailing the emotional trauma his motherā€™s abuse left him with. In the other, Mason and Grace shave his head and Marcus bursts into tears questioning if thereā€™s any visible scars left. You can feel the love and healing, the deep wells of emotional connection between these characters. Stanfield, a first-time actor, not only holds his own against stellar talents like Larson and Gallagher Jr., but he possibly emerges as the most memorable and deeply felt performance. Now that is really saying something.

Ā 

Short Term 12 is a quiet little wunderkind that hits you hard with its sense of truth and honesty. Not even a moment that feels at odds with everything else around, Grace smashing a lamp of her higher-ups in a ā€œdamn the manā€ torrent of emotion springs to mind, can deter me from loving this film. Itā€™s a great little movie all about the cycles of trauma, pain, healing, and moving on. I rooted for these kids, Iā€™ve been these kids, and this feels incredibly authentic.



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Short Term 12 review

Posted : 8 years, 9 months ago on 19 June 2015 01:41

Initial Thought: This has been on my list for quite awhile. I'm not sure why I haven't watched it just yet. Anyways I've already wasted enough time as it is.

Characters/Acting: There is some young talent in this that are just incredible or fun to watch. The characters are so well written and complex. The performances were so powerful. You wouldn't think some of these kids have barely acted before this. I would say Marcus was my favorite though from everyone.

Story: This is set from the perspective of a supervisor at an at risk foster care home. Things begin to change when there is a new intake that comes when said supervisor begins to struggle with past and future. It starts off like a normal day at the office. The only thing is a normal day at the office here wouldn't be what you think working any other place. This is such a dark yet interesting look behind the scenes of what goes in within foster homes. Despite the serious subject matter dealt with here there are quite a few moments that have a lighter side of the spectrum. This had such a beautiful ending.

Directing/Writing: I haven't seen any of Destin Cretton's other work. This is a feature length version of his short he made from 2008. Destin is quite the storyteller. He puts you in a roller coaster of emotions. You love and hate him for it. This is what new directors should aspire to be like.

Final Thought: That was a really intense and gripping story. I was simply amazed by everything that happened throughout this movie. I could not take my eyes away from the screen. If you haven't seen this yet you really should. There is not a dull moment or performance to be seen.


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Gracing Short Term 12

Posted : 10 years ago on 8 March 2014 01:40

How horrifically alive the past is, pervading the present into a bleak and uncertain future...

All the hurt could only stand above you if you let it. And the shadow it casts, someone (if you can't) must take notice does not, need not define you and the rest of your days. Some of them are in this picture. They are as real as any of your fears can be. Let this film ease up some of the burdens.


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Short Term 12 review

Posted : 10 years, 1 month ago on 12 February 2014 08:28

This is seriously the best among all the Indie movies I've watched so far. Simply amazing! The individual journey of characters, the plot, musical score, actors' chemistry! The material is so well written- extremely emotional without having to actually overdo things!

Brilliant!simply brilliant! And to think, this is the first feature length film of the director who also is the one who wrote the story. This is one of the very few films that actually deserves standing ovation!

Seeing closely to the storyline, it is not just about troubled kids and the wounded healer - It is a piece that genuinely depicts what fostering is all about and the amount of emotional labor it requires to actually be able to let everything in. It surmounts the typical wounded healer's role. It is actually something legit.

Coming from a perspective of a helping profession, this is so far the closest I can relate to. This is even better than Precious (which is one of my favourite of somehow related plot. But the way it was told, very cinematic, very moving. Everything just falls perfectly on its places. The silence is just perfectly timed, while the music is tuned so well.

What can I say, it's a shot where I can feel like I am also in.It's that surreal feeling that is realistic enough to be well-remembered and praised. Bravo Destin Cretton! Bravo! This makes me wanted to write more. ^_^


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A turning point for many in their career

Posted : 10 years, 2 months ago on 26 January 2014 07:06

This movie came with a surprise, keeping everything so simple. The director's first full length feature which is actually based on his short movie of the same name. This movie tells the story of a group of young foster-care home supervisors and teenagers who live under their observation.

A realistic movie with well balanced between characters and its narration. It was very much original subject and also in a believable manner. The movie with not-so-popular actors had achieved something every beginner filmmaker wanted to prove their direction skills. From screenplay to performances, it was outstanding.

It all begins with a character Grace, a staff at a foster house facility and her co-worker as well her boyfriend, Mason. When a new staff joins them, soon, an another new kid called Jayden brought into the house under the supervision. After some incident Grace and Jayden begin to merge in emotionally for having a similar kinda previous events. Grace gets disturbed and her life begins to trouble the present. With all this, how she gonna face the current situation is the movie to be told in the remains.

It had a very good opening sequence. Later on it went little slow but I liked as it was described in such pace to bring quality in drama. The second half is what everyone is going to love the movie for carrying striking storyline. The sustainable pace and story with expansion in broad was the highlight of the last quarter of the movie narration.

As I expected it was not a commercial product, but definitely it will be recognizable in film festival arenas. It is not your usual movie that you had seen in Hollywood. Honestly, one of the 2013's best movie drama. 'Short Term 12' is the movie will be a turning point for many in their career, especially for the actress and the director.


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