Saw this at the Leiden film festival (LIFF www.leidenfilmfestival.nl/en/about-liff) 2015. Strong atmosphere, portraying the environment where these soldiers have to survive, full of uncertainties about the inhabitants, their habits, and their way of thinking. There is much more than merely a language barrier, and even the best interpreter is at a loss here. The best example making this point is when they interrogate a young boy, who explains several things in terms we don't really understand, but the boy certainly sees it as facts. A surprisingly consistent and logical explanation how the world works in his eyes.
(possible spoiler ahead) I did not understand the final 10 minutes. Four sheep were killed, shaved and put in body bags, possibly referring to a story that was told in the beginning of the movie, when the group failed to collect all body parts of a killed soldier. A body bag was filled with some extra sand to make up the weight of a man, after which the box was sealed and sent home. We saw the captain court-martialed because of being held responsible for the death of four men, while he and we knew that these four were just missing, believed held hostage and kept in an underground cave. But, as said before, I did not understand this part of the movie and thus may have missed an important clue. (end spoiler alert)
All in all, an interesting story to demonstrate how misplaced these alien forces are actually, in a strange world populated with people they don't really understand. And we have a second story line in parallel, actually a horror story without the usual gore, yet tense as we don't understand what has happened really, leaving us viewers with the same unanswered questions as the main protagonists on screen. Everyone acts believably, soldiers as well as inhabitants, and offer a strong performance throughout.
(possible spoiler ahead) I did not understand the final 10 minutes. Four sheep were killed, shaved and put in body bags, possibly referring to a story that was told in the beginning of the movie, when the group failed to collect all body parts of a killed soldier. A body bag was filled with some extra sand to make up the weight of a man, after which the box was sealed and sent home. We saw the captain court-martialed because of being held responsible for the death of four men, while he and we knew that these four were just missing, believed held hostage and kept in an underground cave. But, as said before, I did not understand this part of the movie and thus may have missed an important clue. (end spoiler alert)
All in all, an interesting story to demonstrate how misplaced these alien forces are actually, in a strange world populated with people they don't really understand. And we have a second story line in parallel, actually a horror story without the usual gore, yet tense as we don't understand what has happened really, leaving us viewers with the same unanswered questions as the main protagonists on screen. Everyone acts believably, soldiers as well as inhabitants, and offer a strong performance throughout.