Happy Bad

A hardened care worker takes her teen charges on the road to escape a dangerous near-future Texas heat wave in the mordant debut from Nolan. Beatrice Campbell is the supervisor of Twin Bridge, a mental health residence for girls run by a company called Tender Kare, outsourced by the state and funded by the girls’ forced participation in drug trials. The latest trial drug, BeZen, shows impressive results in controlling the girls’ disruptive behavior, though it makes them “forget glacial chunks of their past.” Beatrice isn’t too bothered by this side effect (“I was good at my job because I lacked imagination. Only occasionally, in raw accidental bursts, did I think about the unhappiness of the girls,” she narrates), and Tender Kare is so encouraged that they offer to move the staff and residents to a new and nicer facility in Atlanta. Before Beatrice can secure their travel money, though, Twin Bridge loses power during a dangerous heat wave. Convinced she needs to get the girls to Atlanta for their survival, Beatrice sets off with them in a stolen passenger van and a dwindling supply of BeZen. Their journey, however, hits a series of snags, first with a delayed crossing into Louisiana, where they wind up stuck after the state closes its borders. Nolan keenly portrays Beatrice’s hope and despair as she transforms from bureaucrat to would-be savior. This glimpse into a terrifyingly plausible future smuggles tenderness amid the horrors. Agents: Ellen Levine and Audrey Crooks, Trident Media Group. (Oct.)