The movie in short: 1. Danish officer causes civilian deaths in Afghanistan (including women and children) to save wounded comrade. 2. Officer is tried for war crimes in Denmark by a reverse kangaroo court that will obviously acquit him no matter what. 3. He is acquitted on the basis of a barefaced lie told by one of his subordinates. What makes this movie disturbing is that the first half tries to lay a justification for the crime (fog of war, unfriendly civilians, etc.) This is a dangerous line of thought; it's the beginning of a slippery slope where we end up justifying Nazi war atrocities against civilians. The only positive aspect of this movie is, it shows the complete disdain of "civilized" people for "uncivilized" lives.
It also shows how "the West" functions. 1. The US gets into a war or other, in this case Afghanistan. 2. Denmark, as well as all countries in "the West" is supposed to participate. This is mandatory; France's opting out of the Iraq war was met with howls of derision and threats of boycotts. 3. Danish soldiers are sent to Afghanistan, a country with which Denmark had no interaction, ever. 4. There they are instructed by US officers that certain Afghans have to be killed, others aided. Of course the good and bad Afghans look similar, thus mistakes are excusable. The Danish Army, however, did something right; it fled Afghanistan in June 2021, two months prior to the total defeat of the US and NATO.
If you want a more realistic picture of the effects of colonial wars on soldiers watch Susanne Bier's Brothers (2004) or Janus Metz's documentary Armadillo (2010). Or, for comic relief, read the Web sites where the Danish Government describes their "political, humanitarian and development engagement" (sic) in Afghanistan.
It also shows how "the West" functions. 1. The US gets into a war or other, in this case Afghanistan. 2. Denmark, as well as all countries in "the West" is supposed to participate. This is mandatory; France's opting out of the Iraq war was met with howls of derision and threats of boycotts. 3. Danish soldiers are sent to Afghanistan, a country with which Denmark had no interaction, ever. 4. There they are instructed by US officers that certain Afghans have to be killed, others aided. Of course the good and bad Afghans look similar, thus mistakes are excusable. The Danish Army, however, did something right; it fled Afghanistan in June 2021, two months prior to the total defeat of the US and NATO.
If you want a more realistic picture of the effects of colonial wars on soldiers watch Susanne Bier's Brothers (2004) or Janus Metz's documentary Armadillo (2010). Or, for comic relief, read the Web sites where the Danish Government describes their "political, humanitarian and development engagement" (sic) in Afghanistan.