No matter who tries to regulate it or who is opposed to its consumption, alcohol is one of life's greatest bonding substances. It can give people confidence, it can loosen people up, but best of all, it can bring people together. All of this is made abundantly clear in Thomas Vinterberg's Another Round, which is one of the most positive depictions of alcohol that I have ever seen in a film. The way that this movie portrays the consumption of the drug is unabashedly glorious and really focuses on how it brings together this group of best friends. The performances throughout this film are spectacular, the editing is so meticulously timed, and the use of music is just right. Never would I have thought that a film about maintaining a constant level of drunkenness would be this life-affirming but along with the glorious direction from Vinterberg and his warm, welcoming script, he is able to make one of the best films of the year.
Worried that his life and career are becoming too stale, high school history teacher Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) tests a theory with his friends Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen), Nikolaj (Magnus Millang), and Peter (Lars Ranthe) that humans must maintain a constant blood alcohol level of at least 0.05%. As the three of them go about their lives consistently tipsy, they begin to push the limits of what they can do as their social and professional lives are at stake. Thomas Vinterberg's script is such a positively awesome double threat throughout the entirety of this story because while it is primarily about the real danger of modern alcoholism, it's also about the friendship and bonding that the substance can bring. This film's portrayal of alcohol is so welcoming and warm that it makes for an atmosphere almost as fuzzy as your body when you actually drink. I loved how Vinterberg takes the idea of alcohol throughout all of his characters and incorporates it in their lives somehow. Every character felt completely fleshed out and fully developed, which is a rare thing for a drama of this capacity. Alcohol plays such a large part in telling these characters' stories and the way it courses through not only their blood but through their social lives is written wonderfully. Seeing these characters go through trials and tribulations with their relationships, jobs, and each other is fantastic to see, and writing them as almost trials of this experiment is genius on Vinterberg's part. One of this film's greatest strengths, though, is that it was produced and written in Danish and Swedish. The European attitudes towards alcohol are obviously much laxer and more understanding than that of America and this film proves that a story like this could never be told positively if it were an American-produced movie. I just adored the positive outlook on alcohol and how it makes for a fantastic environment at times. I am so grateful that this film exists to tell this story and in such a positive light above all else.
I am ashamed to say that I have not seen much with Mads Mikkelsen before but his performance in this film is just beyond anything I could have expected. He proves to be one of the best and most underrated actors of his generation and I was completely enthralled seeing him in this role. I could never take my eyes off of him (not just for thirst reasons) and his character continued to be more and more captivating scene after scene. Mikkelsen portrays some of the most astounding emotions for this kind of character and I loved seeing how well he embodied those feelings. The supporting performances from Larsen, Millang, and Ranthe were just as phenomenal and they are all able to play their characters with identifiable ease that is hard to come by amongst cinematic performers. The charisma and energy that they all share is just great and their chemistry together on screen is what truly makes this story feel believable. Along with Vinterberg's writing and direction that bring these characters together to form this positive story, the editing from Janus Billeskov Jansen and Anne Østerud cuts their stories together in the most compelling ways. Chronological time in this film exists in such an interesting way because the editing never quite lets the audience know exactly how much time has passed during this group of friends' experiment. Instead, the editing lets the performances and direction tell those details, and the way Jansen and Østerud let the story play out by itself is just fascinating. The use of title cards, graphics, and hard cuts to silence are all so effective but one of the greatest moments in this movie are its final 10 or so minutes. By the time this story has begun to come to a close and its characters are seemingly wrapped up, Another Round takes a turn for the better. Even after an unfortunately sad plot point that occurs right in the film's third act, the uplifting and undeniably upbeat ending of this film felt so deserved. This is one of the most cathartic endings I have ever seen and thankfully, it did not feel forced or unnatural in any way. I will not spoil anything because audiences just need to experience this astounding ending by themselves but all I will say is that the combination of Mads Mikkelsen, jazz ballet, and a wonderfully original song makes for one of the most satisfying moments in 2020 cinema.
I am still sitting in disbelief as I try and process how much I unexpectedly loved this film but regardless of my personal reaction, Another Round is one of the greatest movies of this entire year. Vinterberg has crafted one of the most welcoming depictions of alcohol in the history of cinema and the way he revolves his entire script around this idea was just fantastic. Just like many others, I have bonded with my friends time after time over alcohol; even though I would never aspire to reach the level that these characters did, though, I was very easily able to connect to the themes of friendship, loss, and struggles for self-confidence. But most importantly, booze.
My Rating: ★★★★★
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