Short Term 12 Film Analysis

In the 2013 film Short Term 12, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, a twenty-something woman, Grace, works at a place called Short Term 12, where she cares for troubled youth. Grace, who is portrayed by Brie Larson strives to make the children in the facility feel loved and cared for, despite the fact that they may never feel like that. Each child comes from a different type of family, and each has their own troubling story; however, when the children are at Short Term 12, their pasts do not define them. Grace treats each person in Short Term 12 as an equal. Throughout the film, a viewer sees Grace’s life when she works at Short Term 12, and the life she has outside of the facility. Outside Short Term 12, in the real world, Grace is very distant

In the beginning of the film, before Jayden comes along, Grace has this strong and well put together façade while she works at Short Term 12; however, when she leaves the facility, it is realized that she is actually a broken and an arguably depressed individual. Facing the struggle of not being able to let anyone inside her heart, Grace struggles to communicate her feelings. This battle comes as a direct result of the abuse from her father that she was faced with as a child. The article “What is the Impact of Child Abuse and Neglect?” by Child Help helps to explain why Grace acts this particular way. In the article, it states that “as adults, victims of childhood abuse can feel hopeless, helpless, mistrustful, and often depressed,” (Child Help 2). Grace’s struggle of opening up to others is exhibited in the scene where she finds out she is pregnant. Rather than considering her options and telling Mason, she immediately wants to schedule an abortion, and keeps this secret to herself. The overwhelming fear of becoming too much for Grace, and she seeks for a way out. In an interview with the Current, Cretton was asked about Grace’s character. His response was that “I completely relate to Grace and her own fears of being a parent. Every time she looks in the eyes of these

After losing her mother a few years back, Jayden is placed in the program during the week and is granted home visits to see her father on the weekends. Hearing about Jayden’s background brings Grace back to her life as a teen. Jayden’s life sounds sadly familiar to Grace because it is what she went through as a child. A viewer can infer that once Jayden starts staying at Short Term 12, Grace takes a special interest in her. One of their first alone times were at the home, and they drew together. Grace tells a story about how she used to draw portraits of her mother’s boyfriends. She goes on to say that she used to extend the sketching process out for as long as possible, but she was not sure why. Jayden looks up from her sketch and says, “Maybe you were just trying to keep them away from your mom.” Jayden’s response makes Grace think and recall as to why she actually kept the men away for so long. Although the conversation may not hold any importance to a view, this is actually a major step in Grace’s life. This is one of the first time she has ever opened up to someone about her past, even if it was only to tell a short story of her mom’s boyfriends. There is a sense of safety and reassurance that Grace finds in Jayden. Grace felt safe enough to open up to her. The two girl’s special bond begins to grow as the film progresses on, and Grace begins to open up more and more about her