A raw and heady drama that doesn't lose touch with its humanity or delve so far into the somber material that it feels like a drag. In a performance that catapulted her to greater visibility, Brie Larson plays Grace, supervisor-cum-therapist to a small houseful of troubled youths. Grace seems to know the right approach to penetrating even the sturdiest veneer, but that understanding stems from similar incidents in her own past that she's never truly addressed. It can often seem easier to show others the way than to do the same for yourself, I suppose.

Surrounding Larsen is an excellent set of supporting efforts, helmed by John Gallagher Jr. as her big-hearted secret boyfriend/coworker, but the real show-stealers are the kids themselves. Each touched with a turgid, tragic set of challenges all their own, they succeed at portraying mistrust, resentment, anger, helplessness... and, strikingly, an innate sense of community. Their complexities are the keys to this story, gateway to a dark world that many of us would never dare to explore on our own.

Efficient, emotional, intense but not oppressive - tension-breakers arrive in all the right moments - this was a wonderful surprise, and something that's bound to stick with me for some time.