Film: "Land of Mine"
An Oscar-nominated true-life drama about young German POWs forced to dig up land mines in Denmark in exchange for freedom.
Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
Based on extraordinary true events, writer/director Martin Zandvliet’s historical drama tells a gripping story of redemption and forgiveness, as it follows a group of captured German soldiers in Denmark in the immediate aftermath of WWII.
After the Nazi surrender in May 1945, a unit of young Germans—most barely out of their teens—are put to work by their Allied captors. Hopelessly raw, they are placed under the supervision of embittered Danish sergeant Rasmussen (played by the superb Roland Møller, A Hijacking), and sent to uncover and disarm the 2 million land mines still buried on the beach. Yet as the days advance and he gets to know his young charges, especially the protective and pragmatic Sebastian (Louis Hoffman), Rasmussen grows more and more conflicted in his feelings. Compassion however is the last thing his superiors wish to see extended.
Stories of war and its repercussions abound in cinema, but few have so eloquently focused on the human connection between conflict’s ‘winners’ and the vanquished, and the emotional impact of occupation and nationalism. Featuring arresting performances from the ensemble cast and breathtaking cinematography, Zandvliet’s sweeping drama makes for riveting and deeply-affecting cinema that demands to be seen on the big screen. D: Martin Zandvliet, Denmark, subtitled, 2017, 1h 40m
