Another Round
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang
Score: 3.5 stars
There are many emotions that can be gleaned from the bottom of an empty bottle of alcohol. Love, anger, sadness, despair, life, death - they are all part of human nature, and that is the essence of what Thomas Vinterberg's Another Round is all about: Exploring those emotions.
To say a little of it, Another Round is an experience that can be considered extraordinary. This tragicomedy character drama delves deep into the human psyche through its clever use of alcohol, philosophy and history as plot devices, all told through the eyes of four middle-aged Danish teachers.
The central performance by Mads Mikkelsen, who plays a history teacher named Martin, is absolutely gorgeous. A person suffering from a serious midlife crisis and losing his edge, Martin forms the emotional core of the film.
He and his friends, tired of being boring and low, decide to experiment with having some amount of alcohol in their blood at all times to see if they can recapture some of their youthful energy that time has snatched away - leading into all sorts of dramatic escapades by this tight-knit gang, and some really close encounters.
Another Round has a kind of ephemeral energy to it. Perhaps, because it tackles the basest human emotions, which have historically and psychologically been intertwined with the consumption of alcohol, but the film is never too complex, despite all the lexicon involved. Though the four men are strictly experimenting with a hypothesis, it feels closer to them, letting go of their inhibitions and trying to uncover something they lost.
The film uses the students the men are mentoring as a lens, driving them both together to an uncertain end. Everyone involved goes through pits and peaks, which not just brings them all closer, but has the unfortunate effect of creating cracks elsewhere.
Another Round also goes into the beauty and the dangers of alcohol. Though it shows that alcohol can act both as lubricant and a shield for people who lack social skills - as in the case of Martin, who is remarkably shielded and lost within himself - it can also prove to be a debilitating poison capable of destroying a person completely.
The film also has an unexpected angle: Raising a mirror to the societal acceptance of alcohol. Though it is not necessarily an abyss from which there is no return, Another Round also explores how lowered inhibitions can lead to undesirable situations, aptly represented by Mikkelsen and co's rise and fall. It is both an invitation to loosen up, and a cautionary tale to know your limits, and Another Round is better for it.
Another Round won the award for Best International Feature at the 93rd Academy Awards. It is available to view on BookMyShow Stream.