Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Short Term 12 refers to a group home for troubled youths, and the film centers on a supervisor who's charged with creating a safe place for them. It's a tough, honest look at people who've been through difficult experiences (abuse/molestation, cutting, etc.) and need space to heal. Expect plenty of emotional moments as the characters slowly reveal troubling episodes in their past. There's a good deal of swearing ("f--k," "s--t," and more), plus flirting, a relatively tame love scene, some drinking/smoking, and a few intense physical confrontations.
Sexual
Content
Some flirting between couples, and one relatively tame love scene that ends abruptly. A woman is shown bathing, though no sensitive body parts are visible.
Violence
Brief fights between teens. Several episodes involving youth counselors who must wrestle troubled youths into submission at a group home. Two girls trade fairly graphic stories about how they were abused by their fathers. A young man tries to hurt himself with a shard of broken glass.
Language
Strong language includes "f--k," "s--t," "ass," "hell," "balls," "bitch," and more.
Social
Behavior
Kids need a safe, loving environment to heal and learn to trust again after going through hard times. Providing that kind of place is difficult, and the young people put up plenty of roadblocks, but for Grace and Mason, it can also be rewarding to help them.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Some characters occasionally smoke cigarettes, and a few scenes include social drinking at parties (not explicitly by underage characters). One teen character hides pot in his room.
