Der Sandmann (2011)

Directed by: Peter Luisi | 88 minutes | drama, comedy, fantasy | Actors: Fabian Krüger, Irene Brügger, Beat Schlatter, Florine Elena Deplazes, Kaspar Weiss, Sigi Terpoorten, Michel Gammenthaler, Urs Jucker, This Moser, Max Rüdlinger

The highly entertaining story surrounding ‘Der Sandmann’ – a man slowly turns to sand – may not be well developed at all times, but the film works very well. Instead of giving away the transformation right away, director, producer and screenwriter Peter Luisi fills his entire film with it, letting lead actors Fabian Krüger and Irene Brügger orbit each other. The fact that he also doesn’t forget the humor in the fact is in favor of him and the entire cast, who treat the story that is hardly to be taken seriously with a good pinch of salt.

The only moments where the film falters are when it deviates from story and pace and makes Lorenz Merz’s somewhat amateurish cinematography more apparent. But the beautiful final scenes make up for a lot in that regard.

Singer Irene Brügger plays a beautiful parody of herself as Frölein Da Capo with visible pleasure, and the irritation she provokes at Fabian Krüger’s strange character Benno provides the best moments in the film. The chemistry between the characters works well, and the film is carried by the characters when they need to.

‘Der Sandmann’ is in the first place a comedy, and only shows its small drama sides occasionally. The fantasy is mainly used moderately, and by being inventive with the plot and the budget, ‘Der Sandmann’ manages to captivate until the end, entirely around the question of whether or not Benno turns into a sandman. In any case, it is clear that the idea and passion behind the project were perfectly fine. The only factor that occasionally hinders Luisi is budget, but given the many nominations the film has received at various festivals around the world, that will be less of a problem for the Swiss director’s upcoming projects.