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 talented cast associated with the movie did justice to a powerful story, and their performances surely pulled at the heartstrings of the viewers.
Jana Played By Riman Al Rafeea
Syrian-Norwegian child actor Riman Al Rafeea has previously starred in the movie Capernaum, a Lebanese drama about the Syrian refugee crisis that was directed by her co-star in The Sand Castle, actor Nadine Labaki. Riman was exceptional in Capernaum, where she played the role of the sister of the lead child refugee, Zain, played by her elder brother Zain Al Rafeea, and the duo reunited in sister-brother roles in The Sand Castle once again. In the movie, Riman portrays the character of Jana, the youngest member of the family, whose imagination takes viewers on a painful journey through a child’s psyche, which has been tainted by the horrors wrought upon the world by greedy, violent grown-ups. Jana’s childlike worldview still holds on to the colorful, vibrant imaginary world where she is together with her family, but the horrors of reality peep through her memories of a sordid past from which there is no escape. Building a sandcastle, imagining a colorful lighthouse, little Jana tries her best to cling to her world, to everything that is precious to a child of her age. The make-believe world is the last resort for Jana to cope with her present, as by the end, she is shown to be the only survivor of the group of migrants whose boat capsized at the Greece-Turkey border.
One of the reasons why Jana finds it difficult to bring her sister, Yara, into her memories and imagination is probably due to the sheer extent of trauma the poor child suffered from realizing her sister has passed away during an attack by aggressor countries. The more we venture inside Jana’s psyche, the more her trauma unravels in vivid ways. The way the little girl had to witness her parents pass away one by one is reflected in her imagination, as her make-believe world sinks under the overwhelming pressure of a cruel reality. In the end, the worst sin committed by the world of men, of corrupting the innocence of a child, robbing their childhood, goes unpunished as Jana’s future remains as bleak as ever.
Adam Played By Zain Al Rafeea
Actor Zain Al Rafeea’s past life as a Syrian refugee was reflected in his debut silver screen role in Capernaum, which showed the world just how naturally talented he was as an untrained, 12-year-old actor. Zain’s life changed for the better after he settled in Norway, and he had even bagged a minor role in the MCU in the movie Eternals. In The Sand Castle, Zain plays the role of Adam, Jana’s elder brother, who, despite being a pre-teen boy, has known about the world enough to no longer subscribe to the innocent worldview of his sister. Which is why, in Jana’s memories, Adam is often seen to be arguing with his parents about chances of survival, as he doesn’t understand their need of hiding the truth from their children in an unforgiving world. After their parents’ demise, Adam was the only family Jana had—but at the end it seems he too met a tragic end, leaving his sister all alone.
Yasmine Played by Nadine Labaki
Lebanese-Canadian actor Nadine Labaki is a prolific director as well, as she has directed and starred in her acclaimed movies like Caramel, Where Do We Go Now? and Capernaum—all of which highlight the crisis faced by people of war-torn Middle Eastern Asian countries. In The Sand Castle, she plays Yasmine, mother of Jana, Adam, and Yara—and her presence in the narrative is a reflection of Jana’s connection to her. As a loving, protective mother, Yasmine tried her desperate best to hold her family together in horrid times, but her efforts ended in failure.
Nabil Played By Ziad Bakri
Palestinian actor Ziad Bakri comes from a family of actors and filmmakers, being the son of director Mohammad Bakri and brother to Saleh and Adam Bakri. In the movie, Ziad portrayed the character of Nabil, the father figure in the family. Nabil’s agony of being unable to protect his family from the crude reality they have become a part of is reflected through Ziad’s performance really well.