The young German men (boys is more like it, but anyway) in Martin Zandvliet's Danish-German film, Under Sandet (English title: Land of Mine), look to be too young to drive a car or even see an R rated movie, much less to disarm millions of explosive and dangerous mines along the Western coast of Europe immediately after World War II. The Danish Sergeant in charge of the fourteen POW youths is Carl Leopold Rasmussen (Roland Møller), and although he barks and yells and even starves them by depriving them of food, he eventually grows a soft spot for these unfortunate teenagers. The scene where he gives them a day off and plays soccer with them on the shore of a forlorn beach is as melancholy as it is moving.
The story is a very unique coming-of-age tale for both the boys and the Sergeant, and its narrative will see many of the poor POWs blown up to smithereens by the countless mines they are forced to dig and clean up, without much experience nor expertise of this ever-fatal craft. Under Sandet is the kind of honest, poignant movie about the pointlessness of war - especially its aftermath - that Hollywood is, for the most part, too chicken-shit to make themselves. Thankfully there are brave men and women across the pond willing to tackle such politically sensitive - and brutally honest - post-war themes instead.
A-
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