The Big Picture

• The announcement of Destin Daniel Cretton as the director of Avengers: Kang Dynasty garnered a lot of anticipation for the film after the success of Shang-Chi.
• Cretton's indie drama Short Term 12 showcases his talent for handling ensembles, with each actor given a moment to shine and the film providing a rewarding experience through emotionally investing in the characters
• Short Term 12 marked the beginning of Brie Larson's career as a leading lady, and now she stars in the MCU's The Marvels.

The revelation that the upcoming team-up film, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, would be helmed by director Destin Daniel Cretton was the rare recent MCU announcement that actually generated anticipation. Cretton has proven his merit as an MCU filmmaker with the success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, one of the rare Phase Four projects that managed to satisfy fans, critics, and audiences in equal measure. Shang-Chi certainly was a bright spot in Marvel’s recent history, but taking on the responsibility of an Avengers film is an entirely different task. Anthony and Joe Russo landed the gig on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame after they proved that they could balance multiple personalities on screen together while also moving the story in the right direction. Ironically, it wasn’t Shang-Chi that proved that Cretton could handle an ensemble perfectly. He had previously shown his merits as a filmmaker in one of the films that turned The Marvels star Brie Larson into a competent leading actress before the MCU or any Oscar. Cretton’s 2013 indie drama, Short Term 12, is an emotional character piece that required its extensive cast of characters to be elegantly handled.

‘Short Term 12’ Is an Excellent Ensemble Piece

On paper, a “Sundance darling” like Short Term 12 is about as different from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty as you can get. The film follows a group of supervisors who look over troubled teenagers at a facility known as “Short Term 12.” The “ticking time clock” element in the story isn’t an impending supervillain; it's the risk of these kids aging out. Once a resident turns 18 and officially becomes an adult, they are no longer able to stay at Short Term 12. The story is mainly told from the perspective of Grace Howard (Brie Larson), an experienced counselor who has already established the patterns, routines, and in-jokes that the long-term residents are familiar with. This is an essential character for Cretton to include; the viewer learns about what everyday life at Short Term 12 looks like by simply watching Grace run through her daily schedule. Due to her experience, Grace already has established relationships with many of the patients, including Marcus (LaKeith Stanfield), who is nearing his 18th birthday. She also helps introduce new residents, such as Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), as they adjust to their new life at the facility.

Cretton hints at things from Grace’s past that still haunt her; she’s able to connect with Jayden due to their shared experience with trauma, but it is not initially stated what Grace’s childhood looked like. Grace also expresses her uneasiness about raising a child with her co-supervisor and boyfriend, Mason (John Gallagher Jr). The audience is hooked by Grace as a character and takes an interest in the events that molded her, and thus, they get to learn more about the facility in general.

Destin Daniel Cretton Lets Every Actor Shine in 'Short Term 12'

Mason serves an important role in the story, as he offers a different perspective from Grace on parenting. Grace reveals that she suffered serious neglect and abuse at the hands of her father when she finally opens up to Jayden, who is going through a similar situation. However, Mason was first inspired to work with troubled teens because of the positive experience he had with his foster parents. In one of the more emotional scenes in the film, Mason thanks his foster parents for helping shape him into the man he is now, and takes the opportunity to propose to Grace. It’s a delicate way of revealing more about both characters and showing why this is the right time for both of them to move on to the next stage of their journey together.

Cretton brilliantly uses this segway into the “all is lost” moment of the film. Grace’s breakthrough with Jayden has exposed her to her own traumatic past, which she struggles to recount. It’s at this point that her life falls apart; Jayden has been sent back to her abusive father, and the “ticking time clock” element returns when Marcus attempts to put his own life in danger. This allows Cretton to lead into his rousing third act; Grace gains strength from the support of her team of co-counselors, and even from someone she didn’t expect.

In the opening moments of the film, Grace and Mason welcome a new supervisor, Nate (Rami Malek), to their team. Nate isn’t painted as being ignorant or entitled, but it's clear that this is simply a “summer job” for him to gain experience. This is the type of character that could have easily been used purely for expositional purposes, but Cretton shows a maturation within Nate that helps reinforce the importance of what the supervisors’ mission is. Nate learns that while helping these neglected kids can be emotionally grueling, it can also be extremely gratifying.

Destin Daniel Cretton's Movies Always Have a Great Ensemble

There’s a beautiful bit of symmetry at the very end of the film. During Nate’s first day working at Short Term 12, he feels awkward listening to Mason’s stories about dealing with a bad case of diarrhea during one of his nighttime shifts. Nate had become stressed and overwhelmed when one of the residents tried to run away. By the end of the film, Nate has grown into his role as a fellow mentor to these kids. He’s there laughing with Grace, Mason, and the other counselors, and this time they share a story about Marcus, whom they worked together to heal. When another kid tries to make a break for the exit, Nate joins the other supervisors in stopping them.

It’s this type of respect for an ensemble of performers that makes Cretton such a unique filmmaker, especially when he moved on to bigger projects. A legal thriller like Just Mercy is so powerful because Cretton didn’t just highlight the importance of the lawyer at the center of the case (Michael B. Jordan), but all of the men that he is defending, too. Shang-Chi certainly did its titular character (Simu Liu) justice, but it also introduced a plethora of new and exciting characters, including Katy (Awkwafina), Xu Xialing (Meng'er Zhang), Ying Li (Fala Chen), Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu), and Ying Nan (Michelle Yeoh).

'Short Term 12' Was Brie Larson's Breakout Role

Short Term 12 is also a great showcase for Cretton’s ongoing collaboration with Larson, who made her debut as Carol Danvers in 2019 with Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel. Although Short Term 12 is a small independent film and Captain Marvel is a massive blockbuster, both films allow Larson to play a character who has to get adjusted to an unfamiliar environment. In Short Term 12, Grace has to become accustomed to the idea that the kids that she is mentoring will be aging out; in Captain Marvel, Carol has to reckon with being an outsider on Earth. Both films intertwine her backstory in a fluid way. Grace’s upbringing with her abusive father is hinted at throughout Short Term 12 before she openly discusses it with Jayden; Captain Marvel takes an untraditional approach to the “origin story” by intertwining the titular character’s past as both a human and alien leader.

Although Larson’s performance is at the heart of Short Term 12, Cretton is very judicious with his ensemble. Each performer is given a moment to shine, and no individual character is viewed as more important than the mentorship program itself. Larson does a great job at giving Grace the room she needs to fit within the ensemble without sacrificing her individuality. Larson’s strength working with a larger team is exemplified in The Marvels; hopefully, Cretton will give her a similar opportunity with his upcoming The Avengers sequels.

Marvel fans didn’t fall in love with the universe because they were invested in the Infinity Stones. What made this franchise such a phenomenon was the characters that were worth emotionally investing in, and the excitement of seeing them all interact. With films like Short Term 12, Cretton has proven himself to be a master of providing that type of rewarding experience.

Short Term 12 is available to stream on Peacock.

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