Historical film: “King’s Land”: Fight for potatoes

There is certainly more interesting material for a film than the reclamation of the wild Jutland heath by a penniless captain in 1755. But what director Nicolaj Arcel and his protagonist Mads Mikkelsen do from Ida Jessen’s bestseller “The Captain And Ann Barbara” is a loose model served for “King’s Land” is impressive in many ways.

Mikkelsen, who previously starred in Arcel’s 2012 foreign-language Oscar-nominated film “The Queen and Her Personal Physician,” plays Ludvig Kahlen, who wants to respond to the call of the Danish King Frederik V and cultivate and settle the barren no-man’s land. But in addition to the merciless nature, he has to take on the power-hungry squire Frederik De Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg), who claims ownership of the land and wants to make Kahlen fail with all his sadistic ingenuity.

However, the first look at Kahlen’s fiercely determined face is enough to be sure that he will stoically pursue his goal. For this role, Arcel couldn’t have cast anyone better than Mikkelsen: with a minimum of expression, he is able to expose the inner life of a man who lived in an absolutist time in which feelings were not discussed.

»God is chaos! Life is chaos!” barks the psychopathic De Schinkel, who always acts dangerously close to the edge of caricature, at the first encounter. Kahlen calmly contradicts: “War is chaos. But the victor gains control of the chaos.”

The beginning of the film seems like a Nordic Western. And not just because Kahlen explores the rough country on horseback. Rasmus Videbæk’s magnificent cinematography captures Kahlen’s struggle with merciless nature in rain, fog, frost or piercing sun – always with his merciless goal in mind: to grow potatoes that thrive in almost any soil!

Kahlen’s motivation for his self-imposed task is obvious: he is a “bastard,” as the film is called in the Danish original: the son of a housemaid who was raped by her noble master. He served in the army for 25 years and managed to rise to the rank of captain. Now he is aiming for the rank that he believes he has always been entitled to. The Danish king ultimately promised a noble title to anyone who managed to grow something on the heath.

A young pastor wants to support him in his project and provides him with Joannes (Morten Hee Andersen) and Ann Barbara (Amanda Collin), a desperate tenant couple who have fled from their brutal landlord and are wanted, as helpers.

Kahlen also has to contend with gangs of robbers and the courageous Roma girl Anmai (Melina Hagberg). Anmai has decided to stay with him. But very gradually these people, stricken by fate, come together to form a makeshift family that has to suffer from the increasingly insane actions of the brutal De Schinkel.

For a long time, Kahlen allowed himself little human emotion when obstacles arose that could stand in the way of his stubborn dream. So he watches in disgust as the cruel De Schinkel tortures one of his men – a scene that is barely bearable on the audio level and is not for the faint of heart. Kahlen also doesn’t shy away from murdering De Schinkel’s thugs from behind together with some of his settlers in order to stop him. Even when it comes to Anmai, who grows fond of him over the course of the film and becomes his foster daughter, Kahlen makes a cruel decision at one point when she is once again demonized by the settlers because of her dark skin and they demand that the girl leave.

The conflict between the privileged squire and the idealistic captain is exacerbated by the fact that De Schinkel’s fiancée has her eye on Kahlen.

Arcel Anders and his co-author Thomas Jensen give their complex characters, some of whom develop unexpectedly over the course of the film, enough space so that you sympathize and root for them. You even take your breath away when a sudden frost threatens to destroy the first harvest and Kahlen quickly covers the ground with makeshift blankets. You’re also thrilled when Anmai sees the first tender potato plant on a spring morning. You have to get that done first.

All elements of the story, which is loosely based on a true story, are brought together to form a coherent whole. Costume, lighting and production design appear extremely authentic. The symphonic music underlines the overall epic impression. Particularly fascinating is Kahlen’s character development into a man who increasingly distances himself from the mercilessness of those in power, as well as Ann Barbara’s bold decision towards the end. You don’t often see such gripping historical cinema in the tradition of “Barry Lyndon” and “Lawrence of Arabia” these days.

»King’s Land«, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden 2023. Director: Nikolaj Arcel; Book: Nikolaj Arcel, Anders Thomas Jensen. Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Felix Kramer, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Simon Bennebjerg and others 128 min. Now in cinemas.