Short Term 12: Don’t Tell, Show

A prominent feature of Destin Daniel Cretton’s 2013 film, Short Term 12, would be his use of long pauses and silences for effect. While a lesser filmmaker/screenwriter would use dialogue to develop or introduce characters, Cretton uses a lack of it, which consequently has a far more effective emotional impact on the viewer. Following the opening scene, for example, is an opening credit sequence composed of expository shots with no dialogue, introducing each of the film’s adolescent characters living at the childcare facility. There is never an occasion where unnatural dialogue is used to express the characteristics of a certain character which we need to be made aware of. The dialogue is inherently natural in order to reflect how people would genuinely communicate, which is essentially the point of the entire film. Anything less essentially detracts from the authentic atmosphere created throughout the film’s runtime. Of course, there is plenty of dialogue in the film — there are no action setpieces; no thrilling sequence where our protagonist brings their adversary to justice which could be used in its place to build up our characters. There isn’t even a conventional antagonist at all, other than the fluctuation of emotion and our reluctance to share our feelings with others. The film plants itself firmly in reality, and so Cretton must be applauded for not using an abundance of dialogue to build character in place of generic alternatives. There is just enough to give weight to character interactions, and suit the overall narrative and its characters. The dialogue Cretton uses is short, witty, and to the point — as it would be in real life, thus emphasising to the viewer that these characters are reflections of real people and real struggles.

It is fitting that in a film so dependent on the emotional impact of its characters, silence is used so frequently to portray an important idea. Instead of our characters voicing their feelings and opinions constantly, alternatively we see them through their facial expressions, body language and pauses. This brings a real sense of authenticity to Short Term 12 rarely seen in modern cinema; frequently allowing the viewer to be encompassed in its emotional joyride.

Exposition is also kept to an absolute minimum throughout the film. In fact, there is only one scene of note that could even be arguably considered as exposition — and it’s about a minute long.This accentuates the convincingly realistic aspect of the dialogue; the audience is simply introduced to the characters and expected to understand and empathise with them through their actions, and less often, through their words.

Cretton’s method of shooting the film also plays a key role in its emotional impact and capability to silently reveal character traits. The film feels consistently kinetic (which feels necessary given its reasonably fast pacing); and in some capacity reminiscent of a documentary, as nearly every shot adopts the handheld-cam format. This deliberate choice acts very strongly in Short Term 12’s favour, as if the shots were predominantly static, many of its key character moments would lose their tension and intrigue as they would feel rigidly controlled, thus reminding the viewer that they are simply watching a film, which would be detrimental to its intended effect.

In conclusion, Destin Daniel Cretton’s Short Term 12, while predominantly praised for its outstanding performances from the entire cast, also incorporates a number of features which enable it to highlight significant character moments and maintain the sense that it it a genuine representation of humanity and emotion. Without them, it may not be held in such high regard that it deserves.