Short Term 12

Written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, this poignant psychological drama about troubled teens earned accolades at film festivals worldwide. Twentysomething Grace (Brie Larson) is a group supervisor at a live-in foster-care facility for at-risk kids. Working with her supportive, longtime boyfriend, Mason (John Gallagher Jr.), and new employee, Nate (Rami Malek), Grace does her best to comfort troubled residents, such as nearly-18-year-old Marcus (Keith Stanfield), who is terrified about living on his own for the first time, and can only express his fear and fury in a rap song. But it's the arrival of violently angry Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever)—who writes and illustrates a revelatory fable about an octopus and a shark—that pressures Grace into not only acknowledging her own difficult past but also coming to terms with her unanticipated future. Grace, Mason, and Nate aren't therapists; as counselors, their job is to create a safe environment and keep the damaged adolescents under their protection from hurting themselves and others. But sometimes they perceive more than the mental health professionals, so tension naturally escalates when their evaluations and suggested treatments don't align with the observations of vigilant staffers. Basing the sensitive story on his own experience working at a similar institution, Cretton's direction is realistic and unsentimental. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette (22 min.), deleted scenes (22 min.), director Destin Cretton's original 2008 short “Short Term 12” (21 min.), a featurette on the soundtrack (7 min.), a “Cast and Crew Screening” segment featuring soundtrack artists The Shivers (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fine drama.] (S. Granger)