The Promised Land

The Promised Land | 2023 | 15 | Dir. Nikolaj Arcel | Denmark | IMDb 7.7 | Subtitled | 127 mins 

[Contains violence and scenes of torture]

The Promised Land tells the tale of Ludvig Kahlen, a retired army captain, who attempts to build a property and cultivate land on the desolate Danish moorland in Jutland. Set in 1755, and starring Mads Mikkelsen, the film centres around Kahlen’s struggle with both the inhospitable landscape and the current landowner who aims to drive Kahlen from the moor.

With a strong performance from Mikkelsen, this historical drama with western tropes is wonderfully photographed, capturing Jutland’s wildness. Mikkelsen delivers much emotion and power even in scenes where he is alone and says very little. Equally as good are Amanda Collin in the key role of Ann Barbara and Simon Bennebjerg as sadistic magistrate Frederik De Schinkel.

The film is an adaptation of the novel The Captain and Ann Barbara by Ida Jessen, which was inspired by the true story of the captain-turned-farmer who was the first person to cultivate the Jutland heath.

Directed by Nikolaj Arcel, this is a return to Danish period-drama following A Royal Affair (2012), and a reunion with Mikkelsen. The Promised Land delivers excellent costume and production design and is beautifully filmed, showing off Jutland’s wild and unforgiving landscape. Indeed, the film won the European Film Awards for both Costume Design and Cinematography.

Originally titled Bastarden (The Bastard), this is a gritty, inspirational Nordic Neo-Western story of one man’s fight against the elements and class in order to disprove that “the heath cannot be tamed”.

·       Screen 2 upstairs

·       Doors open 7pm

·       Welcome from our chair Paula Stott @ 7.30pm

·       Free parking after 6pm if you DISPLAY an orange parking voucher, available from the Odeon lobby

·       Unreserved seating

·       We invite every viewer to score the film afterwards using a token system in the lobby