A FILM BY DESTIN DANIEL CRETTON
"SHORT TERM 12" is told through the eyes of Grace, played by Brie Larson, a twenty- something supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers. Passionate and tough, Grace is a formidable caretaker of the kids in her charge – and in love with her long-term boyfriend and co-worker, Mason, played by John Gallagher Jr.
But Grace’s own difficult past – and the surprising future that suddenly presents itself – throw her into unforeseen confusion, made all the sharper with the arrival of a new intake at the facility – Jayden, played by Kaitlyn Dever, a gifted but troubled teenage girl with whom Grace has a charged connection.
She and Mason also struggle to help Marcus, played by Keith Stanfield, – an intense, quiet kid who is about to turn 18 – manage through the difficulty of having to leave the facility.
Grace comes to find – in both her work and the new teenager in her care – surprising sources of redemption. And while the subject matter is complex and often dark, this lovingly realized film finds truth – and humor – in unexpected places.
Writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton
Cast: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr, Rami Malek, Keith Stanfield
