OSCARS 2021: Another Round (2020)

Watching Mads Mikkelsen ascend through the Hollywood hierarchy, from eccentric cult figure to established character actor, has been satisfying. In big budget movies, he mostly plays bad guys or other sinister figures. Which certainly follows the tradition of other European actors coming to America before him. In his homeland of Denmark, Mikkelsen is a major star and gets to appear in all sorts of movies. He previously appeared in Thomas Vinterberg's “The Hunt,” which earned critical praise all over the globe and an Oscar nomination. Vinterberg and Mads would re-team for “Another Round,” which also garnered wide-spread acclaim. The film would score an Oscar nomination for Best International Feature as well as a surprise nod for Vinterberg in Best Director.

Martin, Tommy, Peter, and Nikolaj are a group of high school teachers and long time friends. Each of them have felt a certain spark go out of their life, with Martin feeling especially unsatisfied at work and with his wife. While celebrating Nikolaj's 40th birthday, they discuss Finn Skårderud's theory that humans naturally lack the correct blood alcohol content. That a B.A.C. of 0.05% – mildly intoxicated – is the ideal level to be at all the time. As an experiment, they begin to stay slightly buzzed all the time. And it works, as the men become more lively with their students and more relaxed at home. They decided to push the experiment to new levels, drinking to excess every day, and that's when the problems really start.

“Another Round” does not exactly have the moral I was expecting. You figure a movie about a bunch of guys day-drinking to improve their lives has to come down on either the pro- or anti-alcohol side of things. As the four men start to get shit-faced all the time, their personal and professional lives certainly begin to suffer. The word “alcoholism” is used. Yet “Another Round's” relationship with booze is a little more complicated than that. Being slightly buzzed through the day does reduce the daily amount of anxiety Martin feels. He does become more fun and energetic at a 0.05% B.A.C. A minor subplot involves Peter passing this info onto a student, telling him to take a shot before an exam. The intended lesson is, I suspect, “everything in moderation.” Though I don't think we're meant to take this as permission to drink at work either.

Of course, “Another Round” isn't really about booze or alcoholism. It's instead about that much discussed topic of mediocre white dudes having mid-life crises. Martin's son doesn't seem to respect him and his wife is cold towards him. As he drinks, he's more interesting to his offspring and students and has great sex with his wife. That's not necessarily because the drinking mellows him out. Throughout “Another Round,” imbibing is connected with youth. The first thing we see in the movie are teenagers binge drinking, for example. Sneaking off to sip some alcohol throughout the work day is the kind of childish endeavor that recaptures Martin's younger days. It's impressive that “Another Round” tackles this idea without being melodramatic or tacky about it. It doesn't just these guys for wanting to be young again but it also addresses the slippery slop they're on.

What really holds “Another Round” together is its phenomenal lead performance. Mads Mikkselsen, despite the kind of roles he plays in Hollywood, is really good at giving an everyman kind of performance. In his early scenes, he plays Martin as a man who has had all the joy sucked out of his life. He's listless in those early scenes yet is equally good at summoning an incredible charisma later on. As you watch Mads progress through these emotions, you get really invested in the character's journey. “Another Round” ends on the perfect note, a burst of joyous, youthful energy that acts as the ideal catharsis... And also gives Mads the chance to show off his rarely utilized skills as a dancer.

More than one person has stated that “Another Round” is essentially the movie version of a classic “Simpsons” quote: “To alcohol! The cause of – and solution to – all of life's problems!” This is basically true but that's okay. The script is more complex than that implies and also less severe than the logline had me expecting. Beautifully directed by Vinterberg, who includes a lot of rich lighting and naturalistic camera movement, the film is delightful from beginning to end. Also, the movie's Dutch title is simply “Druk,” which directly translates to “binge drinking” but looks and sounds like plain old “Drunk.” Which is pretty funny. [8/10]