Film Review: "The Glass Castle" (2017).

"Find beauty in the struggle." This is The Glass Castle. This biographical drama film directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, adapted by Cretton, Andrew Lanham, and Marti Noxon, and based on Jeannette Walls' 2005 best-selling memoir of the same name. A young woman who, influenced by the joyfully wild nature of her deeply dysfunctional father, found the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

In 2007, Walls announced the film was in development and looking for a director. In April 2012, Lionsgate acquired the rights to the book and announced that a film adaptation was in development. Gary Ross was hired to direct and Jennifer Lawrence was attached to star. In October 2013, it was revealed that Cretton was in talks to direct the film and re-write the screenplay with Andrew Lanham from a previous draft by Marti Noxon. In October 2015, Brie Larson joined the cast of the film, replacing Lawrence; she had exited the film after a prolonged search for a male lead. By late May 2016, Naomi Watts, Woody Harrelson, Sarah Snook, Sadie Sink, Iain Armitage and Max Greenfield. At the same time, principal photography commenced and took place in Welch, West Virginia.

The film stars Larson, Watts, Harrelson, Snook, Sink, Armitage and Greenfield. Impeccably performed by the whole cast, the film is an exhausting ride through every emotion possible. I'm attracted to films that feel real, and the film definitely definitely does. In no small part to the acting - the kids in this are nothing less than fantastic. Larson delivers a character that feels achingly human, and she does it brilliantly.

It's a perfect example of the raw emotion and attention to detail that make the film such a moving, unforgettable experience. There's a tendency for movies like the film to be overwrought or contrived in their handling of such a sensitive story. However, Cretton avoids the pitfalls of the genre by balancing out the story with an intense and masterfully deployed empathy. The film races by with its brief running time, but its ambling plot works to reveal a naturalistic discovery of its characters. This look at the staff and clients at a foster care facility compels with its naturalistic approach and delivers believable scenarios and dialogue, while showcasing its young stars. However, that sputtering noise you hear in the nobly intentioned, intermittently moving, the film is the sound of feminism backfiring as it meets screenplay formulas. Nonetheless, the film is a rare, unmissable gem; yes, it's a showcase for its stunning performers and necessary story, but it also pushes us to look at our own emotions, experiences, and relationships in the process. This feel-everything drama is one of those honest and intimate scripts that come out of nowhere to say something incredibly meaningful and memorable. Cinematic without belying its "slice of life" vibe, emotionally enveloping without being saccharine, and wonderfully acted across the board. It's a wild, unruly mess of rampant emotions, and yes, some of them are painful, but there's a great deal of warmth and love here too. It's a truly wonderful movie.

Simon says The Glass Castle receives:

Also see my review for Short Term 12.