While awaiting graduation, a fragile and still-maturing 17-year-old named Layla discovers she’s pregnant by her slacker boyfriend Danny. In interviews the director repeatedly mentions her own experience growing up in the lower middle-class world of San Antonio, Texas, whose problems inspired this film. Although the social dimension is always present onscreen, it never interferes with the film’s empathetic and thoughtful take on the central character. The girl’s feelings and experiences, which seem beyond her strength when taken all together, stand at the forefront of an authentically crafted story that benefits from plot condensation and narrative silence. Layla has the gift of natural intelligence and indomitable vitality, yet we can perceive how frustration and loss threaten the forlorn girl. Without a trace of sentimentality, this touching picture addresses notions of purity, innocence, inconspicuous bravery, and faith in the future. Newcomer Devon Keller, eliminating the distance between herself and her character, adds a subtle power to this unusual film.