Short Term 12 (2013)

A simple drama, Short Term 12 follows Grace and Mason, a young couple who run a mental treatment 'camp' for young people. Their young patients are damaged in different ways but with a common thread of family breakdown and a need for the reliable environment that the couple and the camp provides. Grace is forced to deal with her own repressed childhood memories when she sees similar symptoms in Jayden - a new-comer to the facility who she suspects is a victim of child abuse. Jayden writes stories one of which is about an octopus who is slowly consumed by a seemingly 'friendly' shark and this makes for a particularly memorable metaphor for her situation. Acoustic riffs make up the bulk of the basic score and these could have been amped up to enrich the story. Put together, this is a story about overcoming tough circumstances and reinforces the mantra that things gets better and that's always re-watchable.

7.5/10