The Glass Castle (2017)
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A young girl navigates a nomadic and impoverished childhood with her unconventional parents.
The story
As a child, Jeannette Walls lives a nomadic life with her painter mother Rose Mary, intelligent but irresponsible father Rex, older sister Lori, and younger brother Brian. While cooking unsupervised, Jeannette is severely burned. At a local hospital, a doctor and social worker question Jeannette's home life, but Rex distracts the staff and escapes with her. The family leaves town, and Jeannette is enchanted by Rex’s plans for the family’s dream house, a glass castle. The family remains on the move for years, eventually relocating to a dilapidated house in Utah, where the children must navigate their parents' erratic behavior and lack of resources.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film follows Jeannette Walls as she grows up in a nomadic, impoverished household. After a severe burn injury, the family moves through various locations, eventually settling in a remote house in Utah without basic utilities. The narrative follows the siblings as they deal with their father's alcoholism and their mother's instability. After a period in West Virginia, the family moves to a wilderness area. As Jeannette matures, she pursues journalism and eventually moves to New York. The story culminates in her adult life as a successful writer, where she eventually reconciles with her parents before her father's death, reflecting on their unconventional life together.
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 127
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Destin Daniel Cretton
- Cast and characters
- Brie Larson · Jeannette Walls; Naomi Watts · Rose Mary Walls; Woody Harrelson · Rex Walls; Sarah Snook · Lori Walls; Max Greenfield · David
- Genres
- biographical; drama
- Themes
- poverty; family; resilience
- Tone and mood
- dramatic
- Setting
- Various locations in the United States, including Utah and West Virginia, spanning from childhood to 1989.
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; based on true events
- Source material / true-story basis
- Jeannette Walls' 2005 best-selling memoir The Glass Castle
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the cast's performances but criticized the adaptation's emotional tone.
- Production trivia
- The film was based on a memoir published in 2005.; Brie Larson replaced Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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