The Promised Land

The Danish Braveheart, or everything that we could have hoped for from a historical drama starring Mads Mikkelsen. A principled protagonist with good intentions, whom we identify with and understand, even with his faulty decision-making; the two women who love him (one platonically); an adopted vagabond girl who brings family values into the story; a villain whom we would gladly disembowel even at the risk of losing our own freedom. Most of the film’s runtime is filled with safe, predictable clichés, but the inner motivations and fortunes of all of the characters ultimately and meaningfully intersect in the cathartic and emotional climax with a nice intellectual reach. The Promised Land is a powerful film that’s worthy of the big screen. [San Sebastian IFF] (09/26/2023)

So much pain and despair over a few potatoes, only for the main character to finally understand what’s most valuable in life. The chess pieces in the genre almost never make an unexpected move, and that makes the game all the more calming. The black bishop, with his depraved mannerisms reminiscent of Roth's character in Rob Roy, versus the tenacious white king, whose heart softens at the expense of something hardening. Will salvation be found on the home moor? Will love sprout before the potatoes? How much spilled blood will end all the adversity? Did you see Mikkelsen’s fleeting gesture as he blessed the lifting of the stick from the ground? This can’t end worse than a draw... Fire kartofler! (09/05/2024)

Like a spaghetti western from Denmark's bleak moors meets a romance novel while waiting for Godot (here in the form of a sprouting potato plant). A bad guy that is as charismatic and sleazy as life truths facing the main "I can't see the forest for the trees" good guy, who isn't such a guy after all. It's a straightforward, genre film, a bit long-winded around the middle, especially in the first half, nicely uncompromising, well acted and... And that's it. Which is far from little. (01/19/2024)

Flawless, suffocating, absorbing and emotional. I love this Danish intimate filmmaking, and when a sound name in the director's chair (just look for yourself what this god has made), the brilliant, Oscar-winning Mads Mikkelsen and a well-played theme come together, it's a win-win. From the beginning, from the viewer's perspective, you just can't help but root for the main character's plan and wait to see where it all goes. As the characters arrive, each one iconic and fresh enough to garner further sympathy, we fill the screen with A-list characters, and once the main villain (read a sleazy, disgusting, twisted motherf*cker, the kind that hasn't been on screen in quite some time and who we'd probably all like to see dead right away) appears, things get progressively more intense. The story unfolds brilliantly, the characters and their fates equally so, and we're treated to historical drama, even brutal gore, and a few twists that turn the plot 180 degrees and shuffle the viewer's cards nicely. In the end, I'm completely satisfied and it's clear that the North is just somewhere else and can produce with grace an intimate historical gem that I would otherwise avoid by a mile, but here I simply can't help but give it a full score. (01/02/2024)

I often find myself searching in vain for the right dose of gloomy and eerie atmosphere combined with tension in thrillers and horror movies. Yet, here I am, feeling like a complete idiot. All it takes is to watch a film about the expansion of Danish agriculture and you'll be looking for a rope and a nice beam in the attic to end all that depression. But hey, wait for those end credits to roll first, because despite its gloomy (or even somber) tone, this film is extremely good. Even though I'm from the country, I don't enjoy digging in the soil (I prefer livestock), but here I found myself enthusiastically watching the captain's battle for a good harvest against the whims of nature and other disasters. How could I not root for the main hero, especially when he was portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen, whose face radiates internal anguish? Plus, he is so convincing he could make me believe he grew a row of melons from carrot seeds. What I found disappointing was the ending which somewhat undermined the experience for me. / Lesson learned: Playing fetch can lead to a lifelong commitment. (01/09/2024)