Another Round
Composite Score: 84.63
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe, Maria Bonnevie, Helene Reingaard Neumann, Susse Wold, Magnus Sjørup, Silas Cornelius Van, and Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Writers: Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm
Genres: Drama, Comedy
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Box Office: $12.74 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Another Round is Thomas Vinterberg’s film about four high school teachers who begin conducting tests on the impact of alcohol use on their daily work and social lives. The film stars Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, and Lars Ranthe as its four leading men – Martin, Tommy, Nikolaj, and Peter, respectively. The film’s commentary on modern social pressures, the stresses faced by teachers and students, and the consumption of alcohol in present society help make it one of the all-time greats, blending satire with drama to a near perfect effect. It won the Oscar for Best International Feature and received a nomination for Vinterberg’s direction as well.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
I don’t think that Another Round is a good film for recovering alcoholics to watch. Even with its cautionary storyline about overdoing it, much of the film’s content focuses on the social aspects of alcohol consumption and the confidence boost of controlled drinking. The only issue is that alcoholics rarely have that kind of control and will most likely feel a bit left out (or perhaps even victimized) by the story unfolding on-screen. I do want to temper this critique by acknowledging that the filmmakers have not made a film that overtly or covertly encourages binge drinking or alcoholism but simply a film about mid-life crises and a reawakening to life that happens to come about through the consumption of alcohol. More than anything, it is a film that celebrates life; it just happens to celebrate life with more alcohol than an alcoholic in recovery should probably be subjected to in a two-hour sitting.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
At the risk of it sounding like I’ve switched reviewers, Another Round is a whole vibe. The film embodies a spirit of mid-life crisis and reawakening to life that the universe needs to see more of in this modern age. While life is imperfect and things aren’t going exactly how we thought, much of that has to do with our own inaction/complacency/defeatist mindset, much like Martin and his colleagues in the film. Do we (as a collective global society) need an injection of alcohol into our daily lives to wake up to the good that we could be doing? Maybe. But in actuality, it is films and stories like that of Another Round that we need to remind us that we are the ones who enact change and who determine much of how our world looks in the day-to-day. At the end of it all, not much has changed in the actual practicalities of the lives of the four main characters, but they celebrate – again, not because of alcohol – because they have remembered their reasons for living. Even in the tragedy of the film’s climax, there is this cathartic celebration because the characters know what a gift life is and how it deserves to be lived to the fullest (maybe at a .05 BAC if you’re feeling really crazy) in honor of the ones who no longer get to live it.
Vinterberg’s Another Round is the perfect dark buddy comedy for a modern audience, using alcohol, authentic teacher experiences, and great acting to convey a universal reminder about the beauty and fragility of life and its need to be lived, earning the film a place of greatness. Its alcohol content might not be the best for recovering alcoholics, but its message of life is one that the rest of the world needs to hear and then share with those who have to miss out. It is currently available to stream on Hulu for anyone who could use a little bit of that in their life.
