Our setting: a residential facility for high-risk kids, overseen by a staff not far from childhood themselves. Leading the charge is Grace (Brie Larson), a twentysomething of remarkable passion and self-possession. Helping her is Mason (John Gallagher Jr.), her live-in boyfriend and fellow counselor, who buffers Grace's no-bullshit approach with an avuncular-stoner vibe. From top to bottom, Short Term 12 is laced with moments of deep, messy humanity that will take your breath away. by David Schmader