Lee Eisenberg
We've heard many stories about the Nazis' cruelty. Less is known about an event that took place right after WWII ended. The Nazis had planted a number of land mines along Denmark's coast, and Denmark made a bunch of German POWs clear the coast of the land mines. Martin Zandvliet's "Under sandet" ("Land of Mine" in English) shows how the Danish sergeant overseeing the removal of the mines is often as draconian towards the young Germans as the Nazis were to everyone.In addition to showing this particular historical instance, the movie shows that every person has the potential to be cruel, even towards those associated with cruelty. Many of these young Germans were probably drafted into Hitler's army, but were then seen as agents of evil, so people felt justified in mistreating them. In dealing with those who were previously "the enemy", can we ever consider them something other than the enemy?I recommend the movie. Many of the scenes showing the removal of the mines are intense just for the possibility of a mine exploding. But beyond that, it's an important part of history. Good one.
billcr12
This was one of the nominees for the best foreign language films at the 2017 Oscars. I would have picked it or A Man Called Ove from Sweden. The Salesman won and I was not crazy about it. Land of Mine is what the title implies, and that is the 1.5 million land mines left in Denmark by the occupying German army from 1941-1945. German soldiers were forced to remove the mines, leading to numerous injuries and deaths. Some of the soldiers were teenagers and it is heartbreaking to watch these kids become the pawns of war. The sins of the older men who took their nations to war is what makes this at thinking person's movie. The boys had no responsibility for the atrocities committed by their leaders and yet they were the one who paid the highest price. They crawl on their hands and knees as they attempt to diffuse the mines from the beach. as expected, mistakes are made and innocent children die for no good reason. Land of Mine is one great movie.
annuskavdpol
Land of Mine is about Nazi soldiers who are so young some seem to be 14 years old. World World II ends and the Nazi soldiers who victimized the Danes are now being victimized by the Danes by the loss of the war. This shows how absurd war is. There are beautiful shots of long beaches filled with smooth looking orange sand. But the sandy beaches are covered with land mines. The Nazi soldiers who are POW's now are forced to dismantle the land mines. This movie played on my conscious. While I watched the movie, I was wondering if the Nazi soldiers POW's did not need to be released as the war was over. This movie was disturbing to me because I do not believe in the philosophy of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Yes, the Nazi soldiers had a history of being terrible to the Danes; then after the war ended some Danes (like in this movie) became visibly terrible to the former Nazi's. This kind of behaviour makes my stomach turn - as each group suffered at the hand of an aggressor. In a way this movie shows the worse side of humanity. There were pieces of kindness scattered through the film - but in essence - it appeared like many generals in charge practiced their authority in a corrupt way.
kgratton
This is a terrific film, albeit a bleak one, overall. The tone is set by the landscape and the cinematography, yet this windswept coastline and the farmland make for eerily beautiful scenery. Anyone who has ever completed recruit training will well understand the awesome authority an NCO wields. And in this case, the NCO definitely isn't on the same side as his 'recruits'. Carl, the Sergeant ('Feldwebel') wears British Army uniform that clearly marks him as someone who fought during the war with a parachute regiment. He has some anger management issues too. He's not someone to be messed with, in other words. And he's pretty handy with his fists, just in case the message was too subtle. Yet Carl's basic humanity shines through by the end of the film. As for the rest of the cast, all the characters are sympathetic and played for maximum intensity and realism. Much like the mines their characters are defusing, there's not a dud among them.
AD
