Another Round
Written by Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg
Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe, Magnus Millang and Maria Bonnevie
Running time: 1 hour and 57 minutes
by Liz Locke of cinemasips.com
When I heard about the film Another Round, the Danish film about a group of teachers who decide to take up steady drinking, it sounded specifically made for me. After all, I’m married to a teacher, and I run a cocktail blog. I know steady drinking, as well as the struggle of getting kids to put their phones away. So it’s with a lot of regret that I say Thomas Vinterberg’s flick really missed the mark, appealing to neither cocktail aficionados, nor educators.
Starring Mads Mikkelsen as Martin, a high school history teacher struggling to connect with his students and family, Another Round takes the philosophical theory that human beings are operating under a slight blood alcohol content deficit and runs with it. Martin and his three friends develop an experiment where they maintain a constant level of .05% BAC to see how it affects their confidence, charisma and focus. They follow Papa Hemingway’s rule of never imbibing after 8pm, but day-drinking is absolutely allowed and encouraged. At first, the trial goes well, and they find success relating to their students (who are also binge-drinking most days). But then the men up the ante. They raise their levels to .1%, have a crazy, Sazerac-fueled night, and things go to hell. Their jobs are at risk, their marriages on the brink of collapse, and ending the experiment seems like the only way forward.
Except, it’s too late. One member of the group has succumbed to alcoholism. And here’s where things go off the rails for me. Instead of showing any remorse about the can of worms they’ve opened, the other three friends let this guy sink lower and lower, eventually having a wild party in the streets after he pays the ultimate price. Did they learn nothing? Did we, as an audience? My main problem with Another Round is that it doesn’t seem to know what it wants to say. My second problem is that it’s entirely too focused on the male point of view. Would it have killed them to include their wives in this experiment, or maybe have a female teacher as part of the group? I’m sure this film might appeal to a great number of dissatisfied middle-aged men, but I personally wanted more than stylized scenes of sloppy, pathetic dudes waving drinks around like they’re in a Disaronno ad. We have Todd Phillips for that.
Perhaps I’ve got my hackles raised because I’ve spent years fighting the misconception that drinking equates to partying. In my house, I enjoy a well-crafted cocktail not to get drunk, but to hit that nice level of buzz these characters view as the Holy Grail. They hit that level, and then blow right past it for no good reason. Also, as I sat watching this with my husband (who has the unenviable task of keeping students engaged through a mask and a laptop screen right now), we were both incredibly turned off by scenes of teachers drinking vodka in the school bathroom, and at one point, giving it to a pupil to help him relax before an exam. ???!!!! The reality is, these characters have it easy. They teach privileged kids with engaged parents, in person, and do not have to worry about bullets or virus-laden droplets like American educators do right now. They don’t need vodka—they need to grow the hell up. And while they’re at it, make a female friend or two.
Another Round is in select theaters today and available on demand December 18.
Read more from Liz Locke in the pages of our Fall 2020 print Moviejawn zine. Click here to purchase.