LAND OF MINE

Denmark, 2016, 100 minutes, Colour.
Roland Moeller, Oskar Boekelmann, Emil Belton, Oskar Belton.
Directed by Martin Zandvliet.

Land of Mine has an ambiguous title. It is a Danish film and, as Carl the sergeant in charge of the squad defusing the mines, after bashing a German soldier holding the Danish flag, declares: this is my country. And, with the beach setting, with over 1 million mindset on the Danish coast, Denmark is a land of mines.

This film has won many Danish awards and was Denmark’s official entry for the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film.

There have been many war stories and many post-war stories but this one has not been told very often. Denmark was occupied by Germany for five years. There were huge resentments in Denmark against the Germans as evidenced in this film. The final credits indicate that there were over 2000 prisoners of war still in Denmark in 1945 and that they were put to work, especially in defusing the mines along the Danish coast.

This is a story of a small squad of German soldiers. However, it is evident that they are young boys, conscripted, forced to fight, very Germanic in their obeying orders, even from Carl the sergeant, taken prisoner but having very limited experience. (As a point of reference and comparison, they are the same age at the end of the war as Joseph Ratzinger and a reminder of boys being forced into Nazi youth groups – which means that any of them who are alive today are now 90.)

The group of ten are allotted a particular section beach, a map with the placement of all the mines, their work to meticulously make progress along the beach, metre by metre, poking four times to try to locate the mines. We have seen them practising defusing, being urged on by the Danish officer who has only contempt for the men, then defusing actual mines. As the days go on, with the prospect of three months to finish this section of the beach, they become more proficient. As might be expected, there are some explosions, some loss of limbs and death and the discovery that sometimes two mines could be placed one on top of the other.

In the meantime, we get to know more and more about the boys – which makes the film quite an experience as our sympathy causes us to imagine what it might be like in such a prisoner situation and in such a dangerous role in the defusing.

The boys have very limited experience and have hopes for work when they return home. They are sequestered in their heart, locked in at night, very little food, an episode in stealing food from the barn results in rat poisoning, a certain camaraderie in their interactions.

The character of Carl, the sergeant, is very interesting, hostile as is seen from the beginning, treating them as prisoners and not as persons, supervising their work, locking them in, but concerned when one boy is injured and he takes him to hospital. He becomes conscious of their lack of food and gets bread and vegetables from the store, criticised by fellow officers. He begins to talk with the boys as persons, even setting up a soccer match. He himself is a loner but is devoted to his companion dog.

At the farm, there is a woman with a young daughter, hostile to the Germans, more than satisfied at injuring some when she learns that they have been affected by the rat poison.

While the film shows and explores the character of the boys, highlighted by twins and their bond with each other, it also shows us the character of Carl, with touches, perhaps, of the reverse of the Stockholm Syndrome, his beginning to identify with his prisoners. His is a journey from harshness to humanity.

In many ways a severe watch, but a film well worth watching.

1. Awards in Denmark, International, Oscar nomination?

2. The title, mine as regards Denmark? Mine and mines?

3. The location photography, the West Coast of Denmark, the dunes, the beaches? The camp? The musical score?

4. Post-war stories, occupied Denmark, the defeat of Germany, the prisoners of war still in Denmark? Their role, especially in defusing mines? The final information, 2000 prisoners of war, half dying?

5. The introduction to the German men, walking in files on the road, Carl and his jeep, the German with the Danish flag, Carl punching him, bashing him, saying that this was his country, setting a tone for the film?

6. The mine squads, and the training, young men, boys, the pace of practice in defusing? With the real mines? A final explosion?

7. The men, young, boys? Age, soldiers, participation in the war? As prisoners of war, Germanic and obeying orders? The squad, the different personalities, Ludwig as leader, the twins and their bonding, Helmut and his aloofness, Wilhelm and his dying? Standing in file, the introduction to Carl, their names, his harshness? The location, their hut, near the farm, the lack of food, their being locked in?

8. The work, the numbers of mines, the map, the zones, teamwork, the meticulous prodding of the sand, the defusing? The routines, the lack of food, the twins stealing the bread from the little girl? The search for food, the barn, the rat poison, their being sick? Moments of relaxation? Discussions amongst themselves, their future, expectations are what home would be like? The limited experience, not appreciating what the war did to Germany?

9. The boy with the preparation of his grid, Carl’s lack of interest?

10. Elizabeth, her mother concerned, the rat poison, the mother and a satisfaction with finally injuring Germans? The twins, mending Elizabeth’s doll? Elizabeth sitting in the minefield, Ernst and his niceness, walking to Elizabeth, mending the doll, the continued grief about his brother’s death, not able to find his remains? Walking into the minefield and the explosion?

11. Carl, supervision, sternness, not caring for the boys? When sick, injections? The different reactions?

12. Wilhelm, the explosion, severed limbs, wanting to go home, Carl taken to hospital, his death, Carl lying to the boys so they would not give up?

13. Carl, his dog? Getting food for the boys, Ebbe seeing him? Later getting more food?

14. Beginning to talk with the boys, being affected by their presence, by seeing them as persons rather than as prisoners? Ludwig and the talk about the cross? Sharing stories? The soccer teams, the playing, the races along the beach?

15. The death of the dog, the boys and their reaction, Carl and his being upset, treating Ludwig as a dog, fetching the ball in his mouth, sitting, barking?

16. Carl and his reaction to the explosion, getting the boys to test the whole minefield, in file, arm in arm?

17. Ebbe and the officers, Ebbe, coming to the camp, taunting the boys, urinating?

18. The boys working on the load of spent mines, the vast explosion?

19. Four survivors, Carl and his pleading with Ebbe, Ebbe and his harsh reaction?

20. The new squad, no map, the beach of the mines – the four boys been called out, into the truck, Carl enabling them to escape?

21. Audience sympathy with the boys, and their presence in such difficult experiences defusing the mines? And the humanising of Carl?