Short Term 12

A care-worker is confronted by a troubled teen whose case history provokes an unwelcome reminder of her own concealed and traumatic past.

Steely and serious care-worker Grace (Brie Larson) projects a dedicated front to the vulnerable teenagers in her charge, belying her younger years and also occasionally annoying her co-worker boyfriend Mason (John Gallagher Jr). But her resolve is ruffled by the arrival of a girl whose troubles echo Grace’s own concealed past, leading to the re-emergence of buried secrets and suppressed emotions.

Short Term 12 was a breakout hit at South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, where it won two major prizes, before opening at the 2013 BFI London Film Festival to continued acclaim. Writer-director Destin Daniel Cretton drew on his own experiences working in social care to craft this sensitive, genuine and heartfelt drama.