Land of Mine

Writer-director Martin Zandvliet's Oscar-nominated foreign drama centers on the millions of land mines that the Nazis buried along Denmark's western coast in mistaken anticipation of an Allied invasion. After the war, the Danes decided that German POWs should be conscripted to clear the beaches, and the film dramatizes the three months that a group of teens who were drafted in the war's waning days spent probing a swath of coast, using iron rods to locate and defuse the bombs. Promised safe conduct back to Germany if they survive, the group serves under an initially contemptuous Danish sergeant (Roland Møller) who shows little concern about whether they live or die. Inevitably he experiences a change of heart toward his charges as some perish in accidental explosions, becoming especially protective of the most sensitive boy (Louis Hofmann), who helps rescue a little girl wandering into the minefield. Land of Mine is unquestionably manipulative, generating nerve-wracking tension as the fresh-faced, naive young men crisscross the sand, nervously unscrewing detonators. But it works here, thanks to strong acting by Møller and Hofmann. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a conversation with director Martin Zandvliet (18 min.). Bottom line: a solid extras package for this suspenseful Oscar nominee.] (F. Swietek)