Short Term 12

The story is told through the eyes of Grace (Brie Larson), a 20-something supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers. Passionate and tough, Grace is a formidable caretaker of the kids in her charge - and in love with her long-term boyfriend and co-worker, Mason (John Gallagher Jr.). But Grace's own difficult past - and the surprising future that suddenly presents itself - throw her into unforeseen confusion, made all the sharper with the arrival of a new intake at the facility - Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), a gifted but troubled teenage girl with whom Grace has a charged connection.

She and Mason also struggle to help Marcus (Lakeith Stanfield) - an intense, quiet kid who is about to turn 18 - manage through the difficulty of having to leave the facility. Grace comes to find - in both her work and the new teenager in her care - surprising sources of redemption. And while the subject matter is complex and often dark, this lovingly realized film finds truth - and humor - in unexpected places.