This Oscar-Nominated WWII Film Is Nightmarishly Explosive

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Movie Features

Land of Mine Land of Mine Louis Hofmann and Roland Møller seated

World War II was humanity's darkest hour. On-screen, there are hundreds of movies with varying depictions that have been made about the war. Steven Spielberg went for large-scale battles in the blockbuster Saving Private Ryan, showing us heroism and how our sophisticated civilization came to haunt us. Roman Polanski's Oscar winner The Pianist chose to personalize the horrors of the war, particularly the Holocaust. However, not every story has been told. While there has been a decline in the production of World War II movies, newer angles are finding their place on the big screen. One such is Martin Zandvliet's 2015 Oscar-nominated film Land of Mine.

Land of Mine exposes the under-told story of the inhumane treatment German prisoners of war (POWs) experienced in the war's aftermath. Also written by Zandvliet, the film is a high-stakes ride that gets you alongside its characters, whose lives are literally a ticking time bomb. Delving into the bitterness of the aftermath of the German occupation of Denmark during the war, the film is a fictional account of true events. Land of Mine narrows its focus to the exploitation of children dragged into war while showcasing not just the horrors of war, but the humanity in each of us.

'Land of Mine' Is Inspired by Real Events of World War II

Land of Mine draws from true events following the defeat of the Axis powers by the Allied forces. The title Land of Mine is twofold. It evokes both the Danish perspective of reclaiming their homeland from the occupying Germans, as symbolized by the shouts at the home-bound Nazi soldiers in the opening sequence of the film, and the literal landmines that plagued the country post-war. During the war, Nazi Germany, which had anticipated a potential Allied attack from the Danish coastline, had laid approximately 1.5 million mines across the entire western shore. With the loss, the Germans, some of whom became prisoners of war after five years of their occupation of Denmark, faced an uncertain future. In the aftermath, a controversial agreement that many have deemed a contravention of the 1929 Geneva Convention was forged between the British, Danish authorities, and Germans. It authorized German POWs to be used to clear Denmark's minefields. The argument at the time was that since these mines were planted by the Germans during their occupation, they had to clear them before they departed to avoid the danger they posed to the local population. Hundreds of Germans lost their lives during this dangerous task, with others left with injuries varying from mild to severe.

Set against this background, Zandvliet's Land of Mine follows the fate of fourteen young German POWs, most of them teenagers, who find themselves in that precarious landmine-clearing situation under a brutal Danish army sergeant, Rasmussen (played by Roland Møller). Sergeant Rasmussen's rage and vengeance against the Germans is palpable straight from the opening scene in which he headbutts and savagely pummels one of the haggard, departing German soldiers. The boys are dangerously and hastily trained under duress. Those who survive the fatal training are taken to a makeshift camp near a beach where, every day, they go to the shores to clear landmines by prowling through the sand and gently poking rods into its surface to detect the bombs underneath. Their living conditions are harsh: they work long hours, face starvation, and are constantly reminded of their unwelcome presence in Denmark. To earn their freedom and head back to their country, the young soldiers must clear 45,000 landmines in their assigned area.

As time goes by, the abusive Sergeant Rasmussen experiences their human side and starts to treat them with decorum, even taking risks to defend them. Rasmussen's interactions with the boys lead to suspicions from his superiors that he is becoming too sympathetic. He must walk the tight path between military duty, his personal hate for the Nazis, and his growing fondness for the young soldiers. However, Rasmussen's and the young soldiers' relationship is volatile and, like the landmines, should be handled with extreme care as it could explode at any moment. The convergence of the soldiers’ struggle for survival, the tense relationship between the German POWs and their Danish overseers, and the time-bomb landmines make Land of Mine a captivating, intense, and explosive film.

'Land of Mine' Is Hauntingly Intense and Explosive

The first scene sets a chilling tone with Sergeant Rasmussen's brutal act of violence against a German soldier. This prepares you for the haunting power dynamics that unfold throughout the story. Any perceived wrong move by the POWs is met with brutal punishment. This power dynamic is in itself a source of tension in the movie. It creates psychological pressure that manifests in the boys' trembling hands as they dig through the sand with bare hands, knowing that a wrong move, whether with the mines or under the strict scrutiny they face, could be disastrous. Through all these, the film reminds you of the boys' childlike innocence, which is shattered when they witness the horrific aftermath of the explosions. A case in point is when they get traumatized by the sight of their friends' mangled bodies and cry out for their mothers.

Apart from the psychological intensity, the ever-present literal threat of an explosion in Land of Mine is hard to ignore. Zandvliet's direction that raises tension over this is laudable. For instance, from the very beginning, before heading to the coastal landmines, the young soldiers' newly acquired skills are put to the test when they are presented with real UXOs to defuse. One by one, Zandvliet makes them enter the chamber that has the bombs they are tasked with defusing. Instead of getting us into the chamber with them, Zandvliet places the camera on the faces of those awaiting their turn outside, and we rely on sound for what's happening inside. A loud bang means one thing: the boy inside did not make it. Leaving the chamber with a defused UXO means success. As you watch them, you know that an explosion is inevitable, but Zandvliet keeps you guessing when it will happen and to whom.

On the shore, Zandvliet showcases the process of detecting and defusing the bombs with excruciating detail. The camera tilts from anguished faces trying to concentrate on the grave matter at hand, to trembling hands. Alongside the unnerving pictures, there is the eerie silence of the mines and the sound of metal as the boys' rods make contact with the metallic bombs beneath the surface. Occasionally, there's the buzzing sound of a distracting fly or the coastal breeze that adds to the unease. When an explosion occurs, it is shocking and abrupt. Zandvliet rarely shows graphic images of the aftermath at a close range. He cuts to wide shots that seem to erase any evidence of life before, as the scattered minute body parts are almost invisible. It is as if he is showing us the bleak reality of the destruction of war. In one scene, one boy searches in disbelief for his colleague on the shore after an explosion.

'Land of Mine' Is a Masterclass in Direction and Acting

Shot in the real World War II locations where the mines were defused, the cinematography is stunningly realistic with minute attention to detail that amplifies its horrors. Zandvliet uses wide shots to show the beautiful, serene Danish coastline that provides a false sense of security. But just then, he juxtaposes the wide shots with inch-by-inch, camera-at-sand-level close-up shots of the teenage soldiers as they agonizingly crawl in the sand. You witness the terror on their faces as they use their fingers to turn off one detonator at a time from a mine. It's a moment that grips you by the throat. But when the inevitable happens, Zandvliet opts for a sweeping, impersonal perspective, emphasizing the vast, indifferent landscape where they died. It is as if Zandvliet is saying, "this is our beautiful Denmark, and these dark scenes, too, are, unfortunately, part of our history." As the towering bomb smoke plumes and obliterates any trace of human life, Land of Mine is an indictment of the unforgiving brutality of war.

Land of Mine's use of sound, and music (and lack of it) is a beautiful work of art. The opening sequence sets this pace. Against the opening credits on a black screen, you hear the sound of heavy breathing, and when the camera opens to the fuming Rasmussen, you can almost feel his rage as he oversees the departure of the Nazi soldiers. This immersive use of auditory elements is constant throughout the film. It can be heard in the marching boots of the departing soldiers at the beginning, it can be heard in the unscrewing of detonators, it can be heard in the blowing wind of the coastal breeze, it can be heard in the sudden loud explosions. The sparse musical score by Sune Martin adds to the auditory haunting feeling the film creates.

Weaving all these elements together are incredible performances by the actors, most of whom were on-screen for the first time. Roland Møller gives a gripping performance as Sergeant Rasmussen, showing his gradual change from a hateful individual filled with rage to an understanding man. The young actors playing the German boys are believable and make us journey with them in their fear and courage.

Land of Mine is an intelligent and apolitical film that looks at humanity, desperation, resentment, anger, prejudice, and hate. For its exploration of the human cost of war from a rarely seen perspective, like Das Boot, it offers a raw and unflinching look at World War II, one that earned it Oscar recognition in the Best Foreign Language Film category. If not for anything else, Land of Mine is a film we all need to see for its poignant message.

Land of Mine is available to rent on Amazon in the U.S.

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