Land of Mine

This Danish historical drama is nominated for best Foreign film at this year's Academy Awards.

During World War 2, thousands of land mines were  buried along the Western beaches of Denmark by the Germans, anticipating an allied assault that never happened. After the war ended, the Danish army forced German prisoners, many of them teenagers, to remove the mines. This film is a fictionalized account of one group of prisoners. 

The Danes had a bitter hatred for the Germans after the war, and they are represented here by Sergeant Rassmussen. He is charged with commanding a group of 14 young prisoners to clear a particular beach. 

The Sergeant is played by Roland Moller and he is simply fantastic, slowly discovering an empathy he didn't think existed, for his prisoners . The young German actors who play the prisoners are also excellent with their various personalities winning over both the Sergeant and the audience. 

While the story never veers far from the beach, it remains incredibly tense as one mistake can set off a mine. There are explosions but, for the most part, not when you expect them.  It becomes a highly emotional story and one filled with moments of great humanity.

Written and directed by Martin Sandvliet, with wonderful cinematography by Camilla Hjelm Knudsen, this is a terrific film that should not be missed.