Reviewed by Libby Drake, Sunday 16th April 2017
During WWII 1.5 million land mines were laid along the coast of Denmark. At the end of the war more than 2,000 German POWs were kept behind to defuse these mines and were not permitted to go home until the beaches were cleared. Around 50% of them were killed or seriously injured.Land of Mine tells the story of a dozen German POWs who are first trained to defuse the mines and then handed over to Sergeant Rasmussen. The Sergeant explains that their task is to clear a beach of 45,000 mines. At six mines an hour each, it will take them around three months, and then they can go home to their families. The German soldiers are hated by the Danes, with good reason, including by Rasmussen and his superior officers. Food is in short supply, so there is no food for the Germans, and they are locked into a wooden hut every night. The dilemma Rasmussen faces is that the "soldiers" he has been given are mere boys, teenagers drafted into the army towards the end of the war and who cry out for their mothers.
Although the film is not a story about specific real-life people, the plot and events are based solidly on fact and true incidents. It has won a swag of film awards and nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film.
The tension is unrelenting, with only a few scenes to relieve that tension just so that the suspense can be built again. We watch, time and time again, as the teenagers crawl across the sand to locate the mines and then remove the detonating devices. This is a superb piece of directing from Martin Zandvliet, who also wrote the screenplay. With a background in editing and writing, Land of Mine is only his third feature film as a director. Hopefully, we will see more of Zandvliet's films in the future.
Roland Møller (A Highjacking and R) as Rasmussen is terrific. Throughout the film we see him on an emotional rollercoaster. At the beginning of the film he demonstrates his hatred and loathing of the Germans with physical violence, but then we see his compassion as he gets to know the boys under his control. All performances by the young men are extremely good, totally convincing, and often heart-breaking.
Camilla Hjelm's cinematography is stunning, with beautiful sweeping shots of the desolate beaches combined with capturing the terror in the faces of the teenagers and the changing emotions of Sergeant Rasmussen. This film won her a European Film Award for her cinematography.
Land of Mine is a truly outstanding film, a joint Danish German production, and right up there with the best war movies ever made. As an audience, we are filled with horror at the task set for the German boys. It portrays the barbarity and futility of war and how nobody wins.
This is a film not to be missed by anyone who loves war movies, WWII history, Danish cinema, suspense or exceptional film-making.
Land of Mine is currently screening at Palace Nova cinemas, but hurry, as it may not be on for much longer. You can take a glass of wine in with you; you might be glad of it.
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