Another Round (2020) Movie Review
You might recognize writer and director Thomas Vinterberg from the film movement he started called the Dogme 95 Collective. Another Round doesn’t follow the guidelines of the movement he started with Lars von Trier but it does provide very entertaining cinema nonetheless.
Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) is a schoolteacher and works with three of his buddies, Peter (Lars Ranthe), Nikolaj (Magnus Millang), and Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen). At a dinner celebrating Nikolaj’s 40th birthday, they discuss Finn Skårderud’s theory that man was born with a blood alcohol content that is too low. His theory revolves around the idea that having a BAC around 0.05 makes you more relaxed and creative. It’s clear that the four men, in particular Martin, have hit a wall in their lives. They view their lives as boring, stale, and uneventful. The men take Skårderud’s theory to heart and begin drinking to achieve the BAC of 0.05%. They even agree to follow Hemingway’s rule of not drinking after 8PM.
We see the four men sipping on alcohol as soon as they wake up and even at work, while they teach their students. In the beginning the results are tremendous. Martin in particular thrives, engaging with his students in a way that he hasn’t in years. His history class becomes fun and his students are interested in the subject matter. The men keep notes on their progress for this little experiment and detail their results. As time wears on, Martin throws out the idea that each person is different and some may need a little less of a BAC and some might need a little more of a BAC to truly unlock their potential. He begins to up his intake of alcohol, monitoring himself with a breathalyzer to stay responsible. Even his personal life benefits as we see him plan a vacation for his family and make love to his wife.
The first two acts are a blast to watch and it’s more silliness than anything as you see them taking sips of alcohol throughout the day. Then of course the men decide to push it to the limit and drink to the point of collapse. This is when it turns from a fun light-hearted experiment to a more serious drinking problem. The men inevitably piss off their wives when they have a night that sees them all black out. And one of the friends develops a more serious form of alcoholism that tinges the movie with a layer of sadness I had not expected. Things explode from there with marriages crumbling and lives being torn apart. The conclusion feels a bit rushed and one of the resolutions seems a tad unearned. But the very last scene is perhaps the most glorious of the entire movie, with Mikkelsen giving a rousing performance that encapsulated the fervor you felt at the beginning of the movie.
Mads of course steals the show with one of my favorite performances from him. The other three leading men Ranthe, Millang, and Larsen compliment him nicely. You can see the four friends truly care for each other and want their buddies to live life to the fullest. Vinterburg captures this story brilliantly. I especially liked how the camera mimicked the level of intoxication the men were experiencing. When Martin is teaching early on and is a little buzzed, the camera is slightly shaky and out of focus, capturing the feeling of being tipsy to perfection. As the men enter their blackout phase the camera flits from one scenario to the next not giving you the full picture and creating confusion, similar to how one feels when entering the “I’m absolutely plastered” phase. Vinterburg’s ability to capture these stages of drunkenness in this manner adds to the overall feel of the movie and helps you to feel on their level.
I can’t imagine how it would feel to watch this movie while drinking and attempting to time your drunk levels to theirs. That would make for a wild viewing experience. Should I try that? Anyways, Another Round is another brilliant turn for Mikkelsen full of joyful moments of euphoria (brought on by alcohol) and more somber moments of reality. Cheers to Another Round!
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You like to drink
2. You LOVE Mads (this should be everyone)
3. You can identify with feeling stuck in life
