Starring: Brie Larson, John Gallagher, Rami Malek, Kaitlyn Dever, Keith Stanfield.
Short Term 12, follows a care home for at risk teens. We see the lives and problems that both the workers and the kids face daily.
This one is definitely an emotional and thought provoking watch. You get to see into the lives of kids who have grown up with or in very dire circumstances and their mentality. It's not a side that most people get to see regularly so it was insightful to see and understand.
The acting from the both the kids and the careers was done very well. They held a lot of emotion but also allowed a lot of honesty and softness to their performance. The script was quite strong and powerful and they all managed to carry that off greatly on screen.
Story and script wise, it was effectively thoughtout. Whilst the story belongs to carer Grace (Brie Larson), it also gives a lot of insight into the characters too. You get to see a bit into the lives of everyone and how everyone has a different issue and background. It was also very honest, it went from laughing and joking to angry and sad real quick and I feel like this showed a lot of real emotion and humanity.
The cinematography was kept simple but there was some very beautiful and emotive shots in there. The colours used were very soft and muted which I feel matched the undertone of the film and the characters personalities.Whilst no scene majorly stood out to me, it was all very pretty and the indie essence of it all completely stood out making it much more enjoyable to watch.
Overall, Short Term 12 is a very special film. It took a mature perspective on a serious subject but still made it somewhat relatable and familiar. It's a film you have to pay attention to but also a film you could learn a lot from.
