Under sandet (2015)

In post-World War II Denmark, a group of young German POWs are forced to clear a beach of thousands of land mines under the watch of a Danish Sergeant who slowly learns to appreciate their plight.

Director:

Martin Zandvliet

Writer:

Martin Zandvliet

Stars:

Roland Møller, Louis Hofmann, Joel Basman

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 27 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roland Møller	...	Sgt. Carl Rasmussen
Louis Hofmann	...	Sebastian Schumann
Joel Basman	...	Helmut Morbach
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard	...	Lt. Ebbe Jensen
Laura Bro	...	Karin
Zoe Zandvliet	...	Elisabeth, Karins Daughter (as Zoé Zandvliet)
Mads Riisom	...	Soldier Peter
Oskar Bökelmann	...	Ludwig Haffke
Emil Belton	...	Ernst Lessner
Oskar Belton	...	Werner Lessner
Leon Seidel	...	Wilhelm Hahn
Karl Alexander Seidel	...	Manfred
Maximilian Beck	...	August Kluger
August Carter	...	Rudolf Selke
Tim Bülow	...	Hermann Marklein

Storyline

In post-World War II Denmark, the Danish government puts their hated German prisoners of war to work clearing the 1.5 million land mines 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 in Danish history.

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Plot Keywords:

denmark | beach | land mine clearing | minefield | landmine explosion | 

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Taglines:

They survived World War II. Now they have to survive the clearing.

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, some grisly images, and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany] Official site [Japan]

Country:

Denmark Germany

Language:

German Danish English

Release Date:

3 December 2015 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Land of Mine

Filming Locations:

Vejers and Blåvand in the Danish North Sea Nature Park, Municipality of Varde, Denmark

Box Office

Budget:

DKK 35,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,754, 12 February 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$435,266, 25 May 2017

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,164,333, 6 August 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nordisk Film, Amusement Park Films, Majgaard

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1) DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was shot at historically authentic locations, including in Oksbøllejren and areas in Varde.

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Goofs

The boys keep having the same 'fresh' haircut throughout the movie (that covers three months). It's unlikely that they had a hairdresser around, or even a pair of scissors.

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Quotes

Lt. Ebbe Jensen: If they are old enough to go to war, they are old enough to clean up.

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Connections

Referenced in Filmbarátok Podcast: Episode #1.120 (2017)

User Reviews

This is a good one! Highly recommended.

War is a nasty, nasty thing. The only people who can support war are those who never felt it on their own skin and psychopaths. If you have, even in traces, enough empathy to feel the pain of a fellow human, you will be a firm pacifist your entire life. And this movie serves as a great reminder of that. We live in the times when fear is all around us. You turn on the TV or you go online and there's a terrorist attack or a massive shooting going on. And you are forced to make a choice - you are either with us or you're one of them. The world is separated into good guys and bad guys and everything is perfectly black and white. But life is never so simple. I highly encourage you to watch this movie. You will be enlightened, even if just for a bit. I promise you that.