The Promised Land, 2023.
Directed by Nikolaj Arcel.
Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Simon Bennebjerg, Kristine Kujath, Thorp Gustav, Lindh Jacob, Ulrik Lohmann, Morten Hee Andersen, Magnus Krepper, Felix Kramer, Thomas W. Gabrielsson, Søren Malling, Olaf Højgaard, Melina Hagberg, and Morten Burian.
SYNOPSIS:
The story of Ludvig Kahlen who pursued his lifelong dream: To make the heath bring him wealth and honor.
A cautionary tale about the price one pays to join an elite high society of noblemen and a surprisingly heartwarming tale about a found family, director Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land (marking the filmmaker’s return to Danish features after a woeful misfire adapting Stephen King’s The Dark Tower) is an arresting, marvelously shot historical 18th-century epic about an ambitious former German Army captain letting humanity take over his motives. His gradual softening change in behavior somewhat comes easily, considering that the obstacle in his way is a spoiled, psychopathic county judge who is under the impression that the land this general is trying to tame for potential settlement is his and is aware that allowing such a thing to happen would lessen his importance.
Written alongside Anders Thomas Jensen and based on the novel by Ida Jessen (and inspired by real events), the bastard war veteran is Mads Mikkelsen’s Ludvig von Kahlen, determined to garner favor with the King and attain all the wealth and status he could dream of, plans to do so by defying the odds and proving that crops can be grown on the Jutland Heath. The financial treasury wing of the royal advisors is condescending, insisting it can’t be done and is disinterested in lending him the funds to hire the necessary workers and purchase the necessary resources to do so, but have, to an extent, assuming that he will perish during the grueling endeavor while also appearing as if they’re fulfilling the King’s wishes.
The hardened and emotionally steely Ludvig makes do with the pitiful financial allowance he has been granted, resorting to employing a runaway couple hiding from their sadistic master, Johannes and Ana Barbera (played by Morten Hee Andersen and Amanda Collins, respectively), while also strong-arming a “dark-skinned” orphan who routinely serves as a disarming decoy for a band of outlaws (looking to rob and steal from anyone they can wandering the area) into directly bringing him to their encampment to strike a service arrangement.
It turns out that your highness and Ana are seeking sanctuary away from the previously mentioned demented landowner Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg), a detestable nutjob with an evil smirk who frequently abuses and rapes his Manor servants, all while pressuring his cousin Edel (Kristine Kujath Thorp) into marriage. Naturally, this intensely complicates everything Ludvig is setting out to do. with Frederik making their task more of a living nightmare than the earthly elements of the world. There are several scenes of torture and shocking, disturbing behavior, but the performance is calibrated in such a way that it feels sincere and horrifying rather than over-the-top for shock value.
Even when the arduous land taming is going well for Ludvig, he has to contend with difficult choices that force him to question what is more important; accomplishing the supposedly impossible and elevating his place in the world or the life of a foul-mouthed but sweet child that racist settlers will deem a bad luck curse to the settlement. In that respect, the very people Ludvig is building this settlement for are infuriatingly cruel for different reasons. Mads Mikkelsen lets all of this weigh on his face with deep thought and soul-shaking conflict as only he can, delivering an incredible performance that only gets richer the longer the film goes on. It’s also worth mentioning that there is a romantic aspect here that doesn’t feel forced.
With The Promised Land, Nikolaj Arcel has crafted an exhilarating experience grounded in humanity’s cruelty and compassion; it’s a muscular-mounted, action-packed tale bursting with profound emotional dynamics, sweet vengeance, and beautifully human storytelling.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
