Originally called UNDER SANDET (translation: UNDER THE SAND), the story of post WW2 German soldiers held as prisoners of war until they can clear the mines they had planted along Denmark's west coast, the U. S. That's the sort of bad pun my readers have come to expect from my review titles, but its use here undermines a serious yet flawed piece of filmmaking. On a remote, sandy coastline, Danish Sgt. Carl Rasmussen (a very good Roland M. DAS HURT LOCKER - My Review of LAND OF MINE (3 Stars) One of this year's Academy Award nominated Foreign Language films has repurposed its title for certain audiences. He brutalizes and starves them while demanding they work faster and faster to defuse the mines. His lack of warmth feels appropriate considering the horrors the Nazis brought to his homeland, but the film keeps reminding us of the prisoners' innocence, or at the very least, their lack of ideology. Jedním takovým p.More on that later. Think of it as THE HURT LOCKER with lesser technology and more blonde hair. Taking a page from Alfred Hitchcock's manual of suspense, Zandvliet builds intense dread as these kids crawl along the beach poking beneath the sand with sticks. Because we know what lies beneath, it's impossible not to watch this film with at least one hand covering your face. I almost walked out during several key moments, unsure that I could take it anymore. The seriousness of the subject matter and the fine performances all around, however, convinced me to stay. But man is it rough to watch a bomb tear apart a person. In others, the sergeant acts very tenderly towards his charges. He even laughs when one of the soldiers, in a very movie star quality performance by Louis Hofmann, fakes him out with a bomb noise, which seems wildly inappropriate, but #gallowshumor, right? Rasmussen's mixed feelings echo the themes of the film. How can we reconcile our warm feelings for these kids knowing what their fellow soldiers, or perhaps even they themselves, did during the war? I kept thinking how much richer this film would have been if some of the kids still espoused anti- semitic feelings or if we learned that some had committed crimes against humanity. Instead, we learn of their post- war hopes and dreams of rebuilding Germany and getting on with their lives. We delight in their playing soccer on the beach and we sympathize with them when they go without food. This lack of complexity prevents the film from truly soaring to another level. Yes, it's entirely possible that many German soldiers had little choice but to serve. I understand how under Hitler's dictatorship, the citizens had to follow orders, but his ascendancy came from a groundswell of public sentiment. Hell, half of our own country supports the actions of a President the other half despises, and yet we're all responsible, in a way, for his rise to power. He takes the humiliation, we're led to think, in the manner of Jesus dying for our sins. The Nazis sucked. They had it coming. LAND OF MINE, however, hedges its bets by wanting us to forget about such vengeful feelings and hope that acts of kindness lay the groundwork for a better future. A wonderful thought, if only life were so simple. This good film could have achieved greatness had it given us that extra layer of painting one or two of its prisoners as Nazi sympathizers. Still, this missed opportunity merits a look, a cowered look, but a look nonetheless. Film in 2. 01. 5 - Wikipedia. Dit artikel gaat over films uitgebracht in het jaar 2. Succesvolste films.
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