On her very first nomination, Brie Larson won an Oscar this year. The lead actress award was for her performance in Room (Lenny Abrahamson). Short Term 12 (Destin Daniel Cretton) is from 2013.
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In Term, Larson plays Grace, a supervisor at a group home for teens. Marcus (Keith Stanfield) is a resident grappling with having to leave the facility soon, as he's about to turn 18. Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever) is a new resident. She has raging episodes that can lead to her cutting up her limbs. These and the other residents of the home are under the direct care of Grace's counselling unit.
Grace has been keeping her pregnancy a secret from her boyfriend and fellow counsellor Mason (John Gallagher, Jr.). Grace's secrecy may be traced to her deep-rooted issues about having a child. Jayden shares a story she has written, a piercing narrative about an octopus and a shark. As Jayden relates the account she must, and Grace listens closely, writer-director Destin Cretton captures a most probing scene.
Jayden and Grace have both been the victims of abusive parents. In their early twenties, Grace and the other counsellors are not far-removed from the age of their teen residents. Yet, they are being called upon to deal with the results of very adult personal and societal dysfunction.
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Along with Brie Larson, Term's performances are quite strong, and the acting is not bound to serious drama only. There is also genial, sometimes raw, good humour. It all makes Short Term 12 a film of persuasive hope and affirmation.
