While her United States of Tara co-star Michael J. Willet is enjoying his status as everybody’s fave G.B.F., Brie Larson (Kate on Tara, and Cassidy in the simultaneously released Spectacular Now) brings us the troubled and many-layered lead character Grace in the new Short Term 12, a sensitively directed examination of life on the inside of a foster care facility and those who run it.

There is a right way and a wrong way to do a coming-of-age story, and the correct approach is one where the ‘coming of age’ part is barely felt – like in life, it just sort of happens. That is the case here, with several different ‘troubled’ teens who receive full, well-rounded treatment from writer-director Destin Cretton. None of these kids are defined only by that which troubles them: the resident ‘thug’ Marcus (the excellent Keith Stanfield) is so much more than he seems, as is Sammy (Alex Calloway), who doesn’t talk much and likes to pretend. These characters and others get to come to terms with their identities on all levels, showing sensitive, destructive, hopeless and hopeful sides, sometimes all at once.

The dark heart of the film, however, belongs to Larson and new arrival Jayden (the gifted Kaitlyn Dever, also appearing in The Spectacular Now), whose backstory spurs uncomfortable parallels to Grace’s own story of abuse. While Grace’s consequent withdrawal from the world might feel stark and overdone (when confronted with Jayden’s propensity to lash out, Grace all but stops interacting with others, including her boyfriend), it also is very, very real. With consistent performances and a patient, deliberate filming style, Short Term 12 is a worthy addition to a select group of films and other content about foster children, which includes White Oleander and ABC Family’s The Fosters.

—DH