Director Matty Brown’s psychological drama, The Sand Castle, offers a harrowing look at the crude reality of armed conflicts around the world—how the greed of warmongers affects the lives of generations to come—leaving children rootless and without identity. The poignant tone of the movie is amplified by the choice of narrative treatment, as the beautiful, imaginative perspective of a child guides viewers through the story, the horrors of reality continue to reveal themselves through occasional cracks in the imagination, until the final moments of the movie bring out the agonizing truth. The four members of the family, and their actions, are presented through an intermingling of layers of reality and imagination. It was a daunting task to pull off, given the unique demands of the script. Additionally, there are subtle allusions to real-world events, which the actors needed to convey without committing to anything specific. Thankfully, the...