Short Term 12 (2008)
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
A day at a group home for troubled adolescents. Denim is the head counselor, involved somehow with Natalia, another counselor. During the day, we watch them and other staff deal with a boy who's getting into fights though he has only a week to go before his 18th birthday, a girl whose birthday it is, a foul-mouthed lad, and others. Denim uses music to calm one youth, orients a new staff member, sneaks a marijuana cigarette during a break, and by the day's end, talks to Natalia. Do any of us have it together?
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What critics compared Short Term 12 to
What’s refreshing about this drama is that it bows neither to the stereotype of a horrifying institution, à la One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, or a syrupy tale of a problem teen who undergoes a dramatic transformation.
A far cry from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" caricatures, "Short Term 12" is imbued with enthralling naturalism, right down to a cast that includes real patients.