| Native Name: |
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| Director: | José Manuel González-Berbel | ||
| Screenplay: | José Manuel González-Berbel | ||
| Cinematography: | Antonio González Méndez | ||
| Music: | Cristina Pato | ||
| Country: | Spain | ||
| Language: | Spanish | ||
| Distributor: | Sony Pictures Releasing de España |
The Sandman (es|'''El hombre de arena'''|links=no)[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.[4] Shooting locations included Salvaleón, Mérida, Badajoz, and Barcarrota.[5]
The film screened at the 1st Tangier-Málaga Spanish Film Festival.[6] Distributed by Sony Pictures,[7] it was released theatrically in Spain on 9 November 2007.[8]
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.[9]
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".[10]