Sandman

Paul Berry, UK 1991, 10 minutes

A young child is sent to bed by his arguing parents. What awaits him in his dreams though? What will the sandman bring this young child in the night? What will the sandman bring to every young child during the night?

While Sandman abounds with Yungian theories (sleep equals denial of life, unconsciousness is therefore an invitation to death), its main point of interest lies in the simplistic storyline and depth of artistic creation.

The sandman is traditionally the character that sprinkles dust into childrens' eyes to send them to sleep. Berry however has taken the character out of its fairytale context by asking why someone would deliberately want to send a child to sleep. Is the whole concept of the sandman not perhaps slightly sinister? Should the character and tradition not be treated as a nightmare rather than a fairytale?

The style of Sandman's animation reflects this mode of thinking; gothic architecture and minimal sets abound in a primarily black, grey and brown landscape. The sandman himself is a montage of blues and yellows culminating in a twisted face and beak­like nose, faintly reminiscent of Jack O'Lantern in Tim Burton's A Night Before Christmas.

Sandman is a truly stunning piece of animation, both visually and mentally. It promises to leave you wide-mouthed and very very awake. The only question to be faced now, is how are you going to get to sleep?

Review by Andrew Hesketh
Taken from EUFS Programme 1997-98