Peter Sullivan talks about metaphors in his new film 'The Sandman' (Interview)

We talked to Peter Sullivan about his new film The Sandman

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October 14 debut at SYFY the original film The Sandman, with script and direction by Peter Sullivan and production of Stan Lee. Thunder Wave spoke to Peter Sullivan, who commented on his inspirations and the metaphors present in the production.

Check out the interview translated below:

The Sandman focuses on a special child who unknowingly ends up controlling a monster. The story ends up serving as a metaphor for the influence of fear on human behavior. Was this metaphor intentional? How did this idea come about?

Peter Sullivan: The metaphor was definitely intentional. I wanted to create a villain, a boogeyman (known in Brazil as Bicho-Papão), if you like, which was both an internal and an external threat. I've done the “evil son” dynamic before, and I thought it would be interesting to have a young character with a dark power that is not malevolent, but simply unable to control it. She is haunted by her own supernatural abilities.

See too: Review | Sandman - Real Nightmare

The film focuses on a single family and therefore uses little cast. This helps the viewer to connect with the characters and with that the film becomes more intense. Is it easier or more complicated to work in this more intimate way?

Peter Sullivan: Initially, the concept was much broader. After researching a large number of boogeymen and folktales from different cultures, I found Sandman. Although traditionally benevolent, there was something very unpleasant about a stranger who comes into your room at night and controls your dreams. But instead of making a general direction in the style Freddy Krueger, terrorizing an entire city or a group of children, which was the original idea, I thought it would be stronger to keep it contained in a character, Madison (Shae Smolik), and explore how she handles it.

The unconventional family dynamics you see in the film have also evolved in several drafts. The character of Claire (Haylie Duff), the mother figure, went from being a suburban mother to being someone who absolutely shouldn't care for a child, especially not one who comes with the monstrous baggage like Madison. For me, it made the story, and its arc, much more interesting. In my opinion, this additional complication makes things more rewarding for the audience.

Peter Sullivan fala sobre as metáforas em seu novo filme 'The Sandman' (Entrevista) 1
The Sandman/ Image: SYFY

The Sandman is a horror production, but does not invest in scary scenes and this is a great differentiator for the film. Was that choice deliberate or did the plot lead to it?

Peter Sullivan: Having written a number of films of this genre, I have always believed that the good ones would work despite their element of horror. There needs to be something interesting that can sustain itself, even without the creature, and in this case, it is the relationship between the mother and the daughter. There is great drama there, and congratulations to Haylie and Shae for broadcasting it.

In the same spirit of keeping things fresh and different, I thought that, by developing the story about this girl with a dark and uncontrollable power, she was really more of a horror / comic book hybrid and I embraced that to make the film different. What would happen if one of the X-Men had a power that was NOT an instrument for doing good?



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