photo: Animal Kingdom

Grace (Brie Larson) works in a half-way house for troubled teens attempting a deserved break from the harsh realities of their lives. She is their friend, counsellor, confidant. She is on the front line everyday, along with her bearded boyfriend and co-worker Mason (John Jnr. Gallagher) hoping to pave a better future for the troubled individuals. But as a new resident Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever) appears on the scene we are quick to realise Grace needs to confront the harsh realities of her own life.

Unfortunately I found Jayden to be a rather clichéd character, cue the angsty teenage girl complete with a phony attitude and blaring headphones. However the clever direction and sharp writing by Destin Daniel Cretton makes this slight blotch easily redeemed.

Marcus (Keith Stanfield) provides one of the most powerful scenes as he cathartically raps about the abuse his mum laid upon him. As the camera subtly zooms into his facial features it is emotive, involving and overwhelmingly intimate. Another is Jayden narrating her allegorical children’s story of Nina the octopus and her limb devouring shark friend.

Short Term 12 offers you a well-intentioned insight to results of abuse and evil on children. And how, with faith and hope, the consequences of this on their transition to adulthood can be helped along that little bit more. The film deals with traumatic events in a considerate narrative often speckled with unexpected humour. It is well worth a watch. I can only guess that it was lack of advertising or possibly the unappealing title that was the reason for there being only two other people in the cinema.

Emily Harris