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The Promised Land

Mads Mikkelsen stars in this 18th century historical drama with epic overtones. He plays Ludvig Kahlen, an ex-soldier with a strong urge to cultivate the Jutland heath in Denmark. The Royal Treasury toffs think he's mad but, as the King wants the heath developed, Kahlen is given permission to try (and probably fail). So, unto the wild.

It sets out its stall early when Kahlen musket balls an outlaw's chin. The bloodlust doesn't return for a while, but when it does, it's pretty shocking. In the meantime, Kahlen has to deal with farming a virtually barren landscape with very little help. A local priest, Anton (Gutsav Lindh) leads him to a couple, Ann Barbara and Johannes (Morten Hee Andersen and Amanda Collin), who will work for next to nothing, as they are on the run from a malicious land-owner. We meet said richo, Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg) soon enough when he invites Kahlen to dinner to dissuade him from his attempts to settle - more folk on the land would limit his ownership claims.

The original Danish title for this is Bastarden (or The Bastard), which relates to Kahlen's background and explains his desire to become a 'somebody' in society. His arc is quite wide ranging - he goes from a single-minded battler with mild OCD to a loyal family man, with responsibility for a young wildling, Anmai Mus (a great debut from Melina Hagberg).

Mikkelsen is almost peerless these days, not many people can do what he does. He exudes a kind of ingenuous vulnerability, while, at the same time, leaving no doubt that he could rip out a throat if required. His scenes with Hagberg and Collin show one of these sides; a sneak attack on some murderous crims the other.

Overall, this is a reasonably functional tale of endeavour and stoicism on the inhospitable Danish heath, lifted appreciably by the performances and the brutality of frontier life. The whole film flirts with melodrama at times, gets very close in fact, but the bursts of violence have a way of diverting the mind. Co-writer/director Nikolaj Arcel has worked with Mikkelsen previously, directing A Royal Affair and co-writing Riders of Justice. Long may this creative partnership continue.

The Promised Land is screening at UWA Somerville from Mar 4-10 as part of the Perth Festival.

See also:

There are similarities to Hlynur Pálmason's Godland (2022). And the above-mentioned Riders of Justice (2020), directed by Anders Thomas Jensen, is high level Mads.

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