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Poster for The Sandman

The Sandman

1983 · 71 min

A slow, theatrical plunge into childhood dread and creeping madness, staged with expressionist shadows and an unsettling, dreamlike chill.

Directed by
Dagmar Damek
Genres
Drama, History, Tv movie
Starring
Christoph Waltz, Monika Baumgartner, Dominic Raacke
Overview
Based on the classic 19th century tale by German writer/composer E.T.A. Hoffmann, the film investigates the tale's themes of obsession and madness, emphasizing expressionist imagery and theatrical style. The story relates the life of the young student Nathanael, whose childhood memories are haunted by a sinister man. As a child, Nathanael believed this dark figure to be the mythic Sandman, who puts children to sleep by stealing their eyes. When confronted by this same evil presence as an adult, he is pushed toward madness as he tries to confront his childhood fears.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Dagmar Damek
Genres
Drama, History, Tv movie
Starring
Christoph Waltz, Monika Baumgartner, Dominic Raacke
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • eeriestrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • madness
  • obsession
  • trauma
  • memory
  • identity
Places
  • single country house
  • small town
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • single location
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror7
Humour1
Realism5
Romance2
Tension7
Darkness8
Complexity7
Emotional weight7

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, history, tv movie, horror
Directed by
Dagmar Damek
Starring
Christoph Waltz, Monika Baumgartner, Dominic Raacke, Rudolf Schündler, Claus Eberth, Felix von Manteuffel
Runtime
71 min
Country
Germany
Languages
German

TMDBIMDb

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