ANOTHER ROUND REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Thomas Vinterberg co-wrote and directed the thought provoking drama, The Hunt, which was released in 2012 and starred Mads Mikkelsen as a teacher who becomes the target of mass hysteria after being wrongly accused of sexually abusing a child in his kindergarten class. It received a mostly positive reception from critics and was nominated at the 86th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film. Three years later, he adapted Thomas Hardy’s novel, Far From The Madding Crowd, into a feature film starring Carey Mulligan and Matthias Schoenarts. It further established Vinterberg as a skilful filmmaker, with expectations growing high for his latest feature, Another Round.

There is an obscure philosophical theory that humans should have been born with a small amount of alcohol in our blood; that modest inebriation opens our minds to the world around us, diminishing problems and increasing creativity. Intrigued, Martin (Mikkelsen) and three of his friends, all weary high school teachers, embark on a risky experiment to maintain a constant level of intoxication throughout the workday. Initial results are positive, but as the units are knocked back and stakes are raised, it becomes increasingly clear that some bold acts carry severe consequences.

Another Round premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September last year. Since then, it’s been critically claimed, with the majority of them describing it as “ an intoxicating look at midlife crises”. At the 93rd Academy Awards, Another Round was nominated for Best Director and won the Best International Feature Oscar. Because of its impressive reception, my expectations were high and, fortunately, Another Round didn’t disappoint.

Judging from the trailer, title and premise, you’d be understood for thinking that Another Round was simply about four middle aged friends getting drunk. However, it’s more than that and is a powerful and meaningful drama that explores the lives of four teachers who are bored with their lives and decide to test out a theory and see what happens when they have a blood alcohol content level of 0.05%. This experiment is fun, at first, and improves their teaching and social skills. However, as their BAC increases, their lives begin to fall apart. 

Another Round is a film that is either going to put you off drinking or encourage you to start. With his latest film, Vinterberg isn’t saying that alcohol is good or bad for you, rather a simple pleasure that quickly becomes addictive. Most of the compelling drama comes from watching these four individuals react differently to their intake of alcohol. Martin teaches history but is struggling to connect with his students, however, after consuming alcohol, his teaching skills improve. As Martin, Mikkelsen delivers an impressive performance. The actor is best known for portraying the villain, Le Chiffre, in the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale, alongside Daniel Craig as 007. However, Mikkelsen’s performances in both The Hunt and Another Round prove that he is a talented dramatic actor and can deliver serious portrayals. One of the most memorable scenes in Another Round sees an intoxicated Martin dancing with his students who are celebrating their graduation. Alongside Mikkelsen, the rest of the cast are equally as impressive, including Thomas Bo Larsen as Tommy, Lars Ranthe as Peter and Magnus Millang as Nikolaj. All four actors share chemistry and are convincing as their characters who each have different reactions to their increased alcohol intake. During production, the four main actors and Vinterberg would meet to drink just enough to let go of the embarrassment in front of each other. They would also watch drunk people on YouTube to better understand how completely inebriated people would act.

It can be difficult balancing serious drama with occasional moments of amusing comedy. If the film is too serious, the comedy can seem out of place. Fortunately, that isn’t the case with Another Round. It’s not a laugh out loud comedy, however, there are several funny scenes that mainly come from the characters’ drunken antics, including when they have a fun night binge drinking to see how their bodies react. However, although they all enjoyed themselves singing and dancing at the bar, after coming home drunk, both Martin and Nikolaj are confronted by their families, with Martin’s wife leaving him. This leads to Martin, Nikolaj and Peter abandoning the experiment. However. Tommy still continues to drink and soon becomes an alcoholic. Although the majority of Another Round is a fascinating and fun watch, it’s heartbreaking watching Tommy’s struggle with alcohol addiction, leading to the film becoming a cautionary tale on the consequences of alcohol abuse. 

Another Round was based on a play Vinterberg had written while working at Burgtheater, Vienna. Additional inspiration came from Vinterberg's own daughter, Ida, who had told stories of the drinking culture within the Danish youth. Ida had originally pressed Vinterberg to adapt the play into a movie, and she was slated to play Martin’s daughter. The story was originally a celebration of alcohol based on the thesis that world history would have been different without alcohol. Tragically, four days into filming Another Round, Ida was killed in a car accident. Following the tragedy, the script was reworked to become more life affirming. Vinterberg said that it should not just be about drinking, instead it was about being awakened to life. With Another Round, Vinterberg has succeeded in making an inspirational drama. 

Almost a year after its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, Another Round is finally getting released in cinemas and it’s definitely a film worth seeing on the big screen. It provides two hours of escapism for anyone wanting to watch a meaningful drama with lively performances delivered by its cast.

8/10