The Sandman | |
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Spanish | El hombre de arena |
Directed by | José Manuel González-Berbel |
Screenplay by | José Manuel González-Berbel |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Antonio González Méndez |
Music by | Cristina Pato |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing de España |
Release date |
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Country | Spain |
Language | Spanish |
The Sandman (Spanish: El hombre de arena)[1] is a 2007 Spanish romantic drama film directed by José Manuel González-Berbel (in his directorial debut feature) which stars Hugo Silva and María Valverde. The plot is set in a Francoist psychiatric hospital.
After being interned into a psychiatric ward in Extremadura in the late 1960s, free-spirit Mateo changes the lives of the inmates in the asylum, including Lola's.[2][3]
The film was produced by Iroko Films, Adivina Producciones, and Las siete sillas.[7] Shooting locations included Salvaleón, Mérida, Badajoz, and Barcarrota.[8]
The film screened at the 1st Tangier-Málaga Spanish Film Festival.[9] Distributed by Sony Pictures,[10] it was released theatrically in Spain on 9 November 2007.[11]
Javier Cortijo of ABC assessed that the love story side of the film is weighed down by the [leading] actors, whilst supporting cast members (Jiménez and Visedo, together with Torrent's brief appearance) manage to uplift the whole to a certain extent.[12]
Alberto Luchini of El Mundo considered that, well-achieved atmosphere notwithstanding, the screenplay is a mess, with "what was supposed to be moving ends up provoking indifference".[13]