In 2012, Destin Daniel Cretton penned and directed his first feature length film, Short Term 12. Following the lives of employees working at a residential treatment facility in California, Short Term 12 offers a pensive albeit uplifting glance at both the at-risk teenagers living within the facility, as well as the employees taking care of them. There are countless reasons to enjoy this exemplary film, such as the way nearly every character is written to be believable, and complex. Another is the very two-edged perspective the viewer takes away from the movie, not only learning of both how group homes can help troubled youth, but also where they unfortunately come up short. The movie is beautifully shot, and although it can get a bit heavy at times, ends on a high note which not only leaves the viewer in a reflective state, but with an overall sense of hope.
One of the most important …show more content…
One character, Marcus, is on the verge of turning eighteen-years-old and thusly being released from the program. Later on, it is shown that he is scared to leave, and does not believe there is anything for him outside of the group home. This situation is quietly escalated to the point where Marcus attempts to commit suicide after his goldfish dies. It is here where we the viewer begins to see that, although residential treatment facilities can be effective in many ways, they can also fail in some others that are not always within the control of the care workers. For example, it is strongly implied that Jayden, like Grace, is being abused by her father, whom she goes home with for a weekend visit regardless of Grace's report of the abuse to administration. Because Jayden refused to talk about it with a social worker, there was nothing they could legally do to stop her from going home with
One of the most important …show more content…
One character, Marcus, is on the verge of turning eighteen-years-old and thusly being released from the program. Later on, it is shown that he is scared to leave, and does not believe there is anything for him outside of the group home. This situation is quietly escalated to the point where Marcus attempts to commit suicide after his goldfish dies. It is here where we the viewer begins to see that, although residential treatment facilities can be effective in many ways, they can also fail in some others that are not always within the control of the care workers. For example, it is strongly implied that Jayden, like Grace, is being abused by her father, whom she goes home with for a weekend visit regardless of Grace's report of the abuse to administration. Because Jayden refused to talk about it with a social worker, there was nothing they could legally do to stop her from going home with