Sand Castle

Sand Castle is set in Iraq in 2003, after the invasion, and follows a squad of American soldiers sent to a small village to repair its water supply. The locals are far from welcoming, and the soldiers must carry out their assignment while trying to convince the residents they are not enemies and to get out alive. At the centre of the story is Matt Ocre, a young machine gunner serving under Captain Syverson and Sergeant Harper.

The film was directed by Fernando Coimbra, working from a screenplay by Chris Roessner, with Mark Gordon, Ben Pugh and Justin Nappi producing. It was made by British, Iraqi and American companies. Nicholas Hoult plays Ocre, with Logan Marshall-Green, Henry Cavill, Gonzalo Menendez, Beau Knapp and Sam Spruell among the main cast; the production credits 22 cast members and 40 crew. It runs 113 minutes. Sand Castle was Coimbra's first feature before Carnival Is Over in 2025.

Audiences are divided on the film. On IMDb it holds 6.3 out of 10 from around 31,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.5 out of 10 from roughly 882 votes. A critics' rating of 5.3 out of 10 from 17 reviews sits below both audience scores, suggesting reviewers were less persuaded than viewers.