Foreign films tend to do things differently. Seeing unique approaches to style and storytelling is a big part of the appeal. At its core, Another Round is a film about life, friendship, and love. However, in the process of exploring those themes, it’s also a seemingly irresponsible take on alcohol abuse.
Director Thomas Vinterberg co-wrote the screenplay with Tobias Lindholm about a group of four friends, all high school teachers, who embark on an “experiment” to maintain a constant blood alcohol level of .05%. If that sounds like a completely ridiculous premise for a group of 40-something teachers to suddenly get into, that’s because it is. You’d think the psychologist in the group (played by Magnus Millang) would know the inherent dangers of alcoholism, which he absolutely should, before suggesting his friends embark on this journey that will put all of their jobs and personal relationships at risk. He should also be aware that he can’t be a participant if he’s going to be the one writing the research paper.
The cavalier approach to casual alcoholism seems like an odd choice, especially as the film begins with a bunch of teenagers getting wasted and running amok not the town and later highlights the sheer volume of booze the country’s youth consumes on a weekly basis. However, Vinterberg and Lindholm effectively connected this “research project” to a larger theme of general unhappiness among the adult group of friends and that gave the idea more traction. It helped draw some lines in the sand between what’s to be expected of teenagers, what’s expected of adults, why those two things are different, and ultimately the dangers of pushing drinking too far. However, during the film’s climax, after the danger of alcoholism has been fully realized, it appears as though none of the characters have learned anything from their experience. It’s an interesting balancing act that has to explore the highs and lows of Denmark’s love for alcohol.
Mads Mikkelsen is one of those actors who is so consistent and so effortlessly charismatic that he maybe doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. This was another one of those roles where he’s just so watchable even when his character is meant to be boring. His was definitely one of the better performances of the year but ran into some really stiff competition for Best Actor. Mikkelsen drunkenly dancing jazz ballet with a group of high school graduates helps put an exclamation point on the film’s ending.
To be fair, Millang, Thomas Bo Larsen, Maria Bonnevie, and Lars Ranthe were all very good in the supporting roles as well. It’s their individual character levels that help give ballast to the lead role and ultimately what helps steer the whole thing to the finish line.
I don’t know that this film is as good as some of the praise would suggest, but I did enjoy it more than some of the Best Picture nominees. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this take home Best Foreign Language Film.
Recommendation: If you or someone you know is in recovery for alcohol addiction, steer clear of this film. Otherwise, see it for Mikkelsen’s layered and complex performance.