An under-the-radar film about teenagers that's worth a look - Short Term 12

Destin Daniel Cretton's 2013 film, Short Term 12, is an under-the-radar film that in a better world would have received more notice. Of course it was a low-budget film w/ no known stars, at the time, though a few have built up pretty solid careers since this film (notably Brie Larson, the lead). The film is about a group of teenagers in a group home for troubled youth - most of them seem to have some kind of mental illness such as depression or severe autism; some may have had trouble w/ the law as well - and the staff members who care for and work with these kids, all of them dedicated, most of them with back stories of their own (the psychologist in charge of the mental-health services plays the heavy - convincingly). (Also, the film opens with the orientation of a new staff member, and a brief flare-up between the "newbie" and a long-term resident; unfortunately, the plot thread gets lost.) This film seems to be quite honest and accurate in its account of this slice of a little-known facet of contemporary life; except for the ending, which I found too upbeat and tidy, it doesn't romanticize the kids or the staff - there are plenty of flaws and ambiguities all around. I'm actually surprised this film didn't have a later life as a miniseries - much as Friday Night Lights emerged from an initial feature film (albeit a documentary) - in that the characters and their relationships are intriguing, enigmatic, and could be explored much further; also, in a setting such as this new personalities show up on the scene on any given day.