Another Round (2020)

Thomas Vinterberg is a Danish director and screenwriter, known for being one of the co-founders of Dogma 95 alongside filmmakers such as Lars von Trier, Kristian Levring, Jean-Marc Barr and Søren Kragh-Jacobsen. The cinematographic movement sought to rescue the purity of cinema through a list of rules that, among other guidelines, dictated filmmakers to focus on plots with a greater emotional and psychological load, make use of handheld camera, abandon artificial lighting and special effects. And although the movement had a great impact on cinema, it was dissolved in 2005. However, Vinterberg still continues to be one of the most important directors of contemporary European cinema. Through films like The Celebration (1998), Submarino (2010) and The Hunt (2012); Vinterberg deals with complex topics such as human decadence, the dark side of society, dysfunctional family relationships and the severity of mental illnesses.

Another Round (2020) is one of Vinterberg’s most ambitious, spectacular and powerful works. This brilliant story is influenced by Finn Skårderud, a Norwegian psychiatrist who coined the theory that human beings have a deficit of 0.05% of alcohol in their blood. According to Skårderud, a little ethyl boost would take our spirits to a better place and enhance our everyday lives, because the disinhibition that comes from the hand of liquor releases the creativity that lingers within our brains. Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard opens up the scenario with a powerful quote taken from Diapsalmata (1843): “What is youth? A dream. What is love? The continuation of that dream”. These words lay out the foundation for the events that will take place during the next two hours. In Another Round, Skårderud’s theory is being put to test by Martin (Mads Mikkelsen), a history teacher at a Danish high school who struggles in his personal and professional life. Joined by three friends who are also his colleagues, Martin decides to formalize the experiment with guidelines and a blog. For this, Martin and his friends Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen), Peter (Lars Ranthe) and Nikolaj (Magnus Millang) are inspired by the exploits of famous alcoholics and historic figures such as Churchill or Hemingway.

It’s all good at first. Martin takes a few shots of Smirnoff in the school’s bathroom and uses a breathalyzer to establish the alcohol limit of 0.05%. As a result, his classes become more dynamic and the young students connect with the history lessons. The same thing happens with the respective works of his companions. The friendship of the four grows in proportion to the number of shots of vodka they drink. Martin begins to regain his happiness and improve the relationship with his wife. This success justifies the alcohol consumption which inevitably increases to dangerous proportions. Soon, the lies begin and it becomes clear that each advance of the pseudo-investigation is to justify the own alcoholism. Until then, these men are desperate to escape from their lives marked by loneliness, indifferent wives and the noise of children. The alcohol starts to expose their conflicts.

While the character of Mikkelsen is the main protagonist, the rest of friends also face their own problems. Nikolaj deals with the challenges of parenting in a large family with three little children. Tommy finds in alcohol a new friend to ease the crushing loneliness that has been chasing him. Deep down, what they all share is that fear of being forgotten, that their life has been so boring that no one else bothers to pronounce their name once they have ceased to exist. Vinterberg doesn’t pass a judgment on the social relevance of alcohol. In fact, what happens to these characters is an existential crisis that is wrongly overcome by being constantly intoxicated. Therefore, the reiteration to Kierkegaard in the film seems more than appropriate. When one of the friends gives one of his students some alcohol to relax during his oral exam, he refers to the philosopher’s concept of anguish: “How a human being copes the notion of failing and having failed: accept yourself as fallible to love others and life“. Martin and the others cannot accept their professional and personal failures, so they adapt the phrase “To dare is to lose your balance momentarily“.

Druk (the film’s original title) means “being drunk”, but in this case it acquires the meaning of being lucid. Being drunk makes the four friends able to see new points of view. As in life, every decision has its consequences and alcohol brings that consequence to its pure state, without distractions. The daily routine is no longer an impediment to see reality and face their lives. Alcohol will unite these teachers with their students, they are going to re-learn the importance of enjoying the moment with hopes and troubles, and they’ll also re-experience those moments when their limits are fiercely challenged. As a consequence, the film concludes with an optimistic tone without glorifying or moralizing alcohol abuse, and gives us one of the most beautiful, life-affirming ending scenes in recent cinema.

by Octavio Carbajal González