Sand Castles (2014)

In rural Indiana, Noah and his impoverished family wrestle with the mysterious return of his now mute sister Lauren, who was kidnapped and held captive for over a decade.

Director:

Clenet Verdi-Rose

Writers:

Jordon Hodges (screenplay), Jordon Hodges (story)

Stars:

Jordon Hodges, Anne Winters, Randy Spence

13 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jordon Hodges	...	Noah Daly
Anne Winters	...	Lauren Daly
Randy Spence	...	Tommy Daly
Saxon Trainor	...	Marie Daly
Daniella Grace	...	Alison Paige
Scott Jemison	...	Detective Cloud
Clint Howard	...	Todd Carlson
Jason Welden	...	Marcus Jones
John Newkirk	...	Jim Daly
Joey Cipriano	...	Young Noah Daly (as Joe Cipriano)
Maggie Mae Fish	...	Sara
Richard Hackel	...	Virgil Weaver
John D. Carver	...	Bartender Rick
Craig Lemons	...	Bob
Glendon Hobgood	...	Perry (as Glen Hobgood)

Storyline

In rural Indiana, Noah and his impoverished family wrestle with the mysterious return of his now mute sister Lauren, who was kidnapped and held captive for over a decade.

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Plot Keywords:

younger version of character | reference to charles dickens | hunt | feeding an animal | mental illness | 

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Taglines:

Tragedy runs through our blood

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 February 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Castelli di sabbia

Filming Locations:

Goshen, Indiana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Oceanus Pictures, Green Rose Pictures, Dragonfly Recording Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot on set in widescreen 2.39:1 using anamorphic lenses, Director of Photography Chris Faulisi used gaffing tape on the camera's monitor screens to mark off the right and left side for a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and used that guide to shoot the entire film. He felt the widescreen look wasn't personal enough for this type of film, but doing it this way he could still use anamorphic lenses.

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Quotes

Todd Carlson: Well, I admire folks that work with their hands, it's gettin' to be a lost art.

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Soundtracks

All My Life
Written by Dennis Rice & Mike McKay
Performed by Davis & McKay

User Reviews

Broadway World Review: SAND CASTLES Casts Light on the Child Lost but Found and the Journey that Follows

A child appears, mute and traumatized, rushing through the woods, a fugitive from ten years of captivity at the hands of a pedophile.

Flashbacks to a good family time at the beach, building a sand castle crowned by a chess queen.

A momentary glance away that will yield a decade's worth of pain.

The loss of the child (at whose despicable hands?) has wreaked its havoc on those left behind ~ the despondent alcoholic mother, Marie (Saxon Trainor); older brother Noah (Jordon Hodges), a lumber mill worker; Uncle Tommy (Randy Spence), seething with anger and an irresistible itch for revenge. Each bears their cross; all wrestle with their demons.

An excerpt from Proverbs 23:18 has affirmed that "Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off."

Sand Castles, written and produced by Mr. Hodges and directed by Clenét Verdi-Rose, gives promise to the proverb as it painstakingly and dramatically tracks the Daly Family's journey to hope and Lauren's to recovery.

There's a solemnity and tautness to the film's pacing, an air of danger that presides in the background music by Todd Maki and in the moods of its male characters, and a promise of possibility and justice (what you might think of as great expectations).

It is, however, the stunning performance of Anne Winters that makes this such a haunting and powerful film. Hers is a remarkably expressive countenance; her expressions, worth a thousand words; her eyes, a road-map to Lauren's fears and reflections. In a uniquely understated performance, Ms. Winters delivers a singularly powerful and heart-wrenching performance.

In the real world, the road to recovery is not a straight line. It is filled with pitfalls and detours. Sand Castles does not spare us reminders of this reality (for example, Lauren's removal by Children's Protective Services from the Daly home to foster care) and the falls from propriety of even the noblest characters (Lauren's social worker's ill-advised affair with Noah).

In the real world, as Noah notes, everyone has choices ~ some to be celebrated and some from which there is no return.

In the wake of headlines that have screamed the tragedies of lost children and their enslavement by madmen ~ the worst nightmare of any parent ~ Sand Castles is an especially relevant and timely contribution. At the center of this tale of tragedy and hope, of desperation and redemption, is a message about the mindfulness that is essential to the caring of our children, the patience that is required when we must relieve them of their pain, and the hollowness of revenge. At the end of this tale is an abiding sense of reverence.

• Herbert Paine, BroadwayWorld.com