5.5/10
What a unique way to kick off the Scandinavian film festival. Land of Mine appropriately decides to tackle a subject that’s not only close to home from the films country origins but also rarely discussed in cinema. For most it’s an eye-opening affair and whilst it might fall short of becoming a WW2 classic, it is nevertheless an interesting perspective and one as unique as the Scandinavians themselves.
Set in the days following the surrender of Germany in May 1945, young German Prisoners of War are sent over to the western coastline of Denmark in order to remove the more than two million mines placed along the beaches during their occupation. Writer and director Martin Zandvliet seems to be at home with his latest film and its personal significance is clear to see with Zandvliet being of Danish background.
Production wise, Land of Mine represents a highlighting feature for Scandinavian quality as each of the shots were beautiful to see and the sounds of the waves crashing on the beaches were a joy to hear. If you want to see a dramatic outlook from a point of view you may not have previously considered, I recommend checking it out whilst you can.