Destin Daniel Cretton’s The Glass Castle is not an easy film to categorize. It is simultaneously a tribute to unconventional parenting and a stark depiction of neglect, a story of fierce independence and deep-seated trauma. Based on Jeannette Walls’ memoir, the film forces viewers to confront a difficult question: Can we love our parents without excusing their failures, and can we condemn their actions without abandoning our love for them? By weaving together two timelines—Jeannette’s impoverished childhood and her successful adult life in New York—the film builds a complex narrative about the architecture of memory and the long, painful process of building one’s own life from the rubble of the past.