Land of Mine (2015)
Under sandet
Film details
War · Drama · History · Martin Zandvliet · 1h 40min
Synopsis
In the days following the surrender of Germany in May 1945, a group of young German prisoners of war is handed over to the Danish authorities and subsequently sent to the West Coast, where they are ordered to remove the more than two million mines that the Germans had placed in the sand along the coast. With their bare hands, crawling around in the sand, the boys are forced to perform the dangerous work under the leadership of a Danish sergeant.
Verdict
Post-war drama about forgiveness and humanity amidst barbarity.
In-depth analysis
Bajo la arena is a Danish historical drama that examines a dark episode of the post-war era: the use of adolescent German prisoners to deactivate the mines their own army planted on the Danish coasts. The film builds its moral strength on the tension between the Danish sergeant's thirst for revenge and the gradual awakening of his humanity as he lives alongside these young men who were victims of the same war that devastated his country. Director Martin Zandvliet avoids Manichaeism: neither absolving German guilt nor justifying the mistreatment of minors. The violence is intense and necessary to convey the horror of what occurred: sudden explosions, mutilated bodies, constant terror. Each death of a young man strikes the viewer with the same injustice that strikes the protagonist. The narrative arc leads towards the sergeant's redemption, who must choose between perpetuating the cycle of hatred or recognizing the dignity of those under his custody. It is a work for adults and mature adolescents who can process themes of war, forgiveness, and moral responsibility without narrative shields. The film trusts that the viewer can bear unvarnished truth.