A film about child abuse, self harm, unwanted pregnancy, bullying, drugs and the rest might not sound like life-affirming fuel.

But by getting under the skin of its well-drawn central characters, Short Term 12 is rather like Philomena – the sum of its heavyweight parts feels more enlightening than depressing.

It’s clear from the start that this is a well-filmed, literate script with some realistically difficult children at its heart.

Of course, not everyone is always capable of rescuing themselves from the jaws of doom.

But with well-meaning people trying to help here – sometimes from a place of difficulty themselves – there’s a sense that writer-director Destin Cretton’s second feature will provide sources of inspiration for those in need.

Brie Larson (21 Jump Street) is outstanding in the leading, tripled- edged role of Grace, who is trying to help others while saving herself and dating Mason (John Gallagher Jr).

Composer Joel P West also worked on Cretton’s debut film, I Am Not A Hipster, 2013.

Here, his warning chords turn an otherwise potentially ordinary scene into one of the year’s most unforgettable sequences as Grace rushes along on a bicycle. Worth the admission alone.

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