Here at Empire we're very taken with Short Term 12, a film that's almost impossible to describe in an appetising way but equally impossible not to fall for when you see it. Set in a foster-care facility for at-risk teens, it focuses on two of the staff, Grace (Brie Larson) and Mason (John Gallagher Jr) as well as some of their charges. To prove it's not nearly as grim as that plot synopsis might sound, check out the trailer below.
Grace seems totally in control of the home and its inhabitants, and in a happy relationship with Mason, but as the film progresses it becomes clear that her own past is not carefree and may have caused some scars in her life. Then there's Marcus (Keith Stanfield), who's about to turn 18 and leave the facility, and Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), a troubled newcomer with whom Grace forms a strange connection.
It's all directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, based on his own short film. Short Term 12 is out in the UK on November 1, and as you can see from the quotes in this trailer we liked it a lot.