Land of Mine
While Land of Mine was made in 2015, and was at the Glasgow Film Festival in 2016, it’s only coming to cinemas in 2017, so it totally counts as a film of 2017. The plot is that the Second World War has just ended, and a group of German POW’s is interned in Denmark. Eager to avenge the wrongs committed by Nazi Germany against the Danes, the Danish government has the German prisoners used as minesweepers, cleaning the beaches of Denmark of 2 million landmines-hence the pun in the title with nothing but their bare hands.
There are many reasons to be excited about Land of Mine. One is the exploration of the psychological side of warfare. The strain, the terror and the raw emotion that will be on display in this movie could make it a tour de force. A second one is that Denmark has submitted this for consideration for the title of ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ at the Academy Awards, which should give you an idea of how this film is held in high esteem in its native country. If you’re looking for an emotional journey or a nail-biting thriller in 2017, I would definitely dig up Land of Mine.
by Greg Rutherford