In the middle of the 18th centurye century, in Denmark, Captain Ludvig Kahlen retired from the army and obtained permission from the king to build a house in the moors of Jutland. Of very poor origins, and recipient of a meager military pension, Kahlen hopes to successfully cultivate this arid land and thus be granted the right to establish a colony which would allow him to acquire a title of nobility. Believing that the entire territory is rightfully his, a neighboring nobleman, Frederik de Schinkel, will do everything in his power to destroy Kahlen. A slightly sluggish historical drama, but very beautiful and entertaining, The promised land (VF of Bastarden) benefits from a typically magnetic performance from Mads Mikkelsen as a fearless and blameless hero.
This outdated expression suits the protagonist brilliantly played by the star of The hunt (Jagten) and D’Breathalyzer (Druk). In the same way, the larger-than-life “villain” played by Simon Bennebjerg is a caricature, but a devilishly effective caricature: if the fate reserved for Schinkel’s Frederik proves so satisfactory in the denouement, it is precisely because We will have taken great pleasure in hating him all along.
But in short, the film essentially offers a fight between good and evil which takes on the — delightful — trappings of a historical drama. Director of the excellent Royal connection (In long-term business), also with Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Arcel multiplies the careful compositions. In collaboration with director of photography Rasmus Videbaek, the filmmaker creates cozy atmospheres in Kahlen’s farmhouse, in contrast with the desert but majestic expanses that unfold outside.
On unequal grounds
While the villain of Schinkel multiplies the infamies, ranging from forced marriage to the sponsorship of assassinations through torture to the death of an ex-servant, Kahlen works tirelessly to cultivate his land in order to realize his dream . The ace up his sleeve? A tuber still unknown in Denmark, which he brought back from his military campaigns in Germany: the potato.
Even when nothing goes well, Kahlen can count on the unwavering support of two women: Ann Barbara, a former servant of her enemy (Amanda Collin), and Anmai Mus, a young ostracized Roma (Melina Hagberg). Underlying: the themes of class struggle and racism.
In addition to Kahlen’s tribulations and her unequal confrontation with Schinkel, there is a whole variety of rather incidental subplots, sometimes romantic, sometimes melodramatic, which reinforce the sometimes outrageous character of the film. The love triangle sketched then left hanging between Kahlen, Ann Barbara and a noblewoman who tries to escape a union with de Schinkel constitutes a good example.
Nevertheless, even when The promised land force the note, the film remains quite captivating, like its star.