Land of Mine (2015)

Academy Awards, USA 2017

Nominee Oscar

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year Denmark

Sony Pictures Classics
Directed by Martin Zandvliet
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Sony)

Young German POWs are forced to clear mines on a Danish beach after WWII. They are handed over to a brutal sergeant who treats them with contempt. After training, they work on the beaches all day with little or no food for days at a time. Eventually, of course, one of the mines goes off with devastating consequences. The sergeant begins to soften his stance towards the boys, even stealing food for them. However, when his beloved dog is killed by a mine that was missed he returns to his old ways. More boys are killed leaving only a few survivors, who are sent off to another beach for more hazardous work. The sergeant, having promised to send them home when they were done, drives them to the border and releases them. Roland Møller is excellent as the sergeant. His transformation from Nazi-like commander to a more sympathetic father-figure carries the plot. Naturally, any movie involving the defusing of bombs will be tense, and there are the predictable jump moments when one explodes.