Glass castle first trailer with brie larson and woody harrelson

Brie Larson‘s next big dramatic turn is coming this summer in _The Glass Castle_ — and PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the trailer. Based on the memoir by Jeannette Walls, the film

finds Larson stepping into the author’s shoes as it traces her extraordinary life from poverty-stricken childhood to successful New York-based journalist. Along the way, audiences meet

Walls’ dysfunctional family, who were constantly on the move thanks to her father’s inability to find a stable job — and his drinking problems. “They did a spectacular job bringing to life a

complicated story, there’s so many nuances,” Walls tells PEOPLE of watching her story unfold on screen. “I wanted Brie Larson to play this role even before I knew who she was. She

understands how to be strong and vulnerable at the same time, how you can fight and be scared at the same time.” The 2005 memoir detailed Walls’ unconventional upbringing by her father, Rex

(played by Woody Harrelson), and mother, Rose Mary (played by Naomi Watts). After enduring an impoverished, itinerant childhood that saw them scampering around the western part of the U.S.,

Walls and her three siblings escape one by one to New York and stake out a stable life. That’s all threatened when their parents follow them there, and the children have to come to grips

with who their parents really are, and whether they want them in their lives. When the author first glimpsed Harrelson in character as her alcoholic but loving dad, she was overwhelmed. “The

first time that I saw Woody in makeup and in character, I started trembling and crying — and I’m not that sort of person,” she says. “But the degree to which he captured my father was

breathtaking. He did and said things that my father did and said that I hadn’t told him.” RELATED VIDEO: WATCH BRIE LARSON HILARIOUSLY RECALLS THE DIFFICULTIES OF ACTING Walls says she hopes

the film, which is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, will give viewers a chance to gain a deeper understanding into their own family life. “I hope that in seeing my story, it makes people

think about what they’ve been through,” she says. “I think that’s the magic of storytelling — if one person is willing to be brave and tell their story, then that allows other people to be

honest. I think there’s incredible value in coming to terms with your story, and I hope that the telling of my story will encourage other people to revisit their own.” _The Glass Castle_,

released by Lionsgate and also starring Max Greenfield, arrives in theaters Aug. 11.