Land Of Mine review: Oscar-nominated Danish Second World War drama
WAR dehumanises victor and vanquished alike in Land Of Mine, an Oscar-nominated Danish drama that throws light on an unfamiliar aspect of the Second World War.
Land Of Mine is a thoughtful, poignant story
LAND OF MINE (Cert 15; 99mins)
Set at the end of hostilities in 1945 it follows veteran sergeant Carl Rasmussen (Roland Møller) as he is assigned to defuse and remove 45,000 land mines planted along a stretch of Danish coastline.
German prisoners of war are used to clear the mines and nobody seems unduly concerned if there are casualties along the way.
Compassion is a luxury that few can indulge after years of conflict and loss. But if they survive, the Germans are promised that they will be allowed to go home.
Burly, gung-ho Rasmussen is faced with a group of naive, vulnerable enemy soldiers who are little more than teenagers.
He gradually sets aside a relish for punishment and his rediscovery of a sense of humanity and concern for others lies at the heart of a thoughtful, poignant story that deservedly won Møller the Danish equivalent of the Bafta best actor prize.