Land of Mine (Under Sandet) (2017)
92%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
32 wins & 27 nominations total
Land of Mine uses an oft-forgotten chapter from the aftermath of World War II to tell a hard-hitting story whose period setting belies its timeless observations about bloodshed and forgiveness.
Land of Mine is a bomb of a movie, in the best way possible. It’s a tense and explosive drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The performances are top-notch and the defusing sequences are nail-bitingly suspenseful. It’s a tough watch, but it’s also a masterclass in examining the effects of war on the human spirit. Essential viewing for anyone who loves a good war movie with heart.
Production Company(ies)
RKO Radio Pictures,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Vejers and Blåvand in the Danish North Sea Nature Park, Municipality of Varde, Denmark
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence, some grisly images, and language
Year of Release
2015
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 40m
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Language(s):German, Danish, English
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Country of origin:Denmark, Germany
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 17, 2017 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 6, 2017
Genre(s)
War
Keyword(s)
starring Roland Møller, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Laura Bro, Louis Hofmann, Joel Basman, Oskar Bökelmann, directed by Martin Zandvliet, written by Martin Zandvliet, war, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Nigel Andrews, Donald Clarke, Wendy Ide, Kevin Maher, Peter Bradshaw, David Parkinson, Matt Brunson, Tori Brazier, David Lamble, Steven Prokopy, Nicholas Bell, Jorge Loser, producer Malte Grunert, Mikael Rieks, MPAA rating R, German POWs, land mines, forgiveness, bloodshed, aftermath of World War II, Denmark, Sony Pictures Classics, original language German
Worldwide gross: $3,169,553
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $3,956,453
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,237
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 431,456
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): DKK 35,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard – Lt. Ebbe
Laura Bro – Karin
Louis Hofmann – Sebastian Schumann
Joel Basman – Helmut Morbach
Oskar Bökelmann – Ludwig Haffke
Director(s)
Martin Zandvliet
Writer(s)
Martin Zandvliet
Producer(s)
Malte Grunert, Mikael Rieks
Film Festivals
Sundance, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
32 wins & 27 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (107) | Top Critics (33) | Fresh (98) | Rotten (9)
Land of Mine is small but powerfully formed.
August 7, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
Despite its grim substance, a crowd-pleaser of the traditional school.
August 7, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Donald Clarke
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
Silence, but for the oblivious buzz of insects, is a vacuum, and tension floods in.
August 7, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
Wendy Ide
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Denmark’s so-called biggest war crime forms the historical backdrop of this nerve-jangling bomb-disposal drama
August 4, 2017 | Rating: 5/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
A tough, well-made war movie – sometimes shockingly violent – about a little known and very grim moment at the end of the second world war.
August 4, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The sense of place is as assured as the vigilant performances, while the defusing sequences are genuinely suspenseful.
August 3, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
An explosive watch.
August 17, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
For an examination of the affect that war can have on the human spirit, Land of Mine is a masterclass. It is essential viewing.
March 25, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Tori Brazier
Flickering Myth
Land of Mine delivers an epic story.
June 8, 2020
David Lamble
Bay Area Reporter
A positively terrifying post-World War II suspense work… You’ll spend most of Land of Mine on the edge of your seat.
May 4, 2020
Steven Prokopy
Third Coast Review
As a character study set during unique yet harrowing times, Land of Mine continues in the vein of difficult yet important cinematic subject matter, reflecting the cruel effects war has on human behavior, no matter the side.
October 5, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/5
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
A beautiful study on the contradictory nature of resentment and the importance of forgiveness. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 16, 2019
Jorge Loser
Espinof…
Plot
In post-World War II Denmark, the Danish government puts their hated German prisoners of war to work clearing the 1.5 million landmines from the western beaches of the country. At one such beach, Sgt. Carl Leopold Rasmussen finds himself in charge of one such labor unit and finds they are largely all inexperienced boys. As the boys struggle to complete and survive their dangerous work, Sgt. Rasmussen’s hate for Germans gradually cools as he grows to understand the horrific situation these child soldiers are in even as the mines claim more and more victims. Eventually, the boys and the Sergeant must decide what can be done in a situation that would be later be denounced by later generations as the worst war crime committed by the Danish government in its history.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Land of Mine on Fresh Kernels.
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