Another Round
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
We are playing catch up by reviewing films that are a part of the current awards season.
I mean, let’s be real. It’s a Thomas Vinterberg film. We all had a feeling this was going to at least be decent, right? Well, the Danish auteur is back with Another Round, which is such a fitting title, considering that’s what we get every single time with him: something fascinating. This is no exception. While I can’t pretend this is his magnum opus (lest we forget The Hunt), Another Round is another spectacular and hypnotizing affair from Vinterberg. Starring a regular of his (obviously Mads Mikkelsen), this dramedy places us in the middle of an experiment, which just seems like bad news on paper: if a professional drinks a little bit of alcohol every day, can they function their daily lives but with more joy and life? Does permanently having alcohol in one’s bloodstream render them a free spirit?
Again, this seems like a stupid idea, but it’s one that Vinterberg treats really well, as to not leave the film feeling pointless or in vain. Inspired by the partying youths of the world, and the teachings of Finn Skåderud, four high school teachers (led by Mikkelsen’s Martin) partake in this challenge, and the film is sure to calculate each and every step via title cards with alcohol level percentages (so we’re always aware of where we are at). Naturally, this kind of a hypothesis is going to be funny, and we get those results. It’s also bound to be tragic, and I won’t say much more than that. However, I’m more concerned with how Vinterberg treats the grey area, like when Martin loosens up as a teacher, and develops a unifying connection with his students; that is what makes Another Round such an entrancing film.
Another Round places its focus on its central characters, and allows the dizzying world around them to feel like a separate element of the story.
While we are focusing on the four teachers, the film uses its extras as a backdrop, like a captivating wallpaper. The world surrounding our gaze feels like a separate universe, as Another Round places us in such a drunken daze. It’s something I cannot shake off anytime I see the film. It’s such a bizarre element to pull off. Maybe it’s the swirling cameras, leaking bright colours of the cinematography, or a proper use of blurriness, but Vinterberg’s recreation of a buzz (or full on addiction) is quite the peculiar accomplishment. It’s so fitting, given the film’s story. On that note, it also captures the lives of these participants in such a fleeting way; at times it’s like Vinterberg’s weird answer to Lost in Translation or Chungking Express (without ever getting as far into the daydream, of course).
Of course, this is a dramedy and not a full on comedy, and I already have brought up how an experiment involving the consumption of alcohol is going to end up in a downward spiral. Another Round looks at this tale as well, and relays that a voluntary shot to keep going ends up becoming a necessity, and one shot always turns into more. This idea winds up either embarrassing or morbid, but nowhere outside of the spectrum of discomfort. We all knew this would happen, but Another Round doesn’t really care if we could predict this or not; it’s more interested in where it will go from there. It’s this final chapter that really sells the quality storytelling of Another Round, because where do you go from there? Well, Vinterberg figured it out, and I’ll let you see for yourself.
The hijinks in Another Round range from hilarious to depressing.
At the end of the day, this experiment started because of a teacher’s observance of the lessons of a famous psychiatrist, and the freedoms of teenagers. Martin’s difficult life as an adult are the shackles he wishes to shed, but alcohol was not the solution. If anything, it was the box that held him, as he was submerged under water and having to pull off a Houdini trick to survive… well, being alive, I suppose. With the additional problems caused by a lifestyle that was meant to help, Martin’s central storyline is quite a gripping one (not any more or less than his contemporaries, but we just see his much more). Another Round takes narrative staples — the battle of addictions, sadness, existentialism, or all of the above — and blends them into one new identifiable-yet-different concoction. It’s like so many stories we’ve seen before, yet so drastically unique that you won’t find many films quite like it. It’s Thomas Vinterberg’s latest creation, and it’s another home run in his high-quality filmography. I can actually see it following in the footsteps of other Vinterberg films (especially The Hunt) with its growing reputation and cult fanbase status. After its inevitable Academy Awards win for Best International Feature Film, that length of its legacy is set to begin.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.