'Short Term 12' accolades well deserved

When I attended a film festival earlier this year, I almost passed on seeing “Short Term 12.” The summary for this movie sounded as if it would traffick in the worst indie movie cliches: The story of a supervisor at a foster care facility for at-risk youth.

I could already envision scenes of a supervisor doing her best to make a difference in the lives of troubled teens. The characters would be walking cliches seen in countless movies where a social worker or a teacher is trying to help adolescents trapped in a system that gave up on them long ago.

I am glad I was wrong. “Short Term 12” may be the best movie I have seen this year. It’s clear why this movie won both the jury prize and the audience award at the South by Southwest Film Festival.