Review: Another Round (2020)
Four teachers gather for a fortieth birthday party and commiserate in the boredom that has permeated their lives. While dining, they discuss psychiatrist Finn Skårderud’s hypothesis that a perpetual blood alcohol content of 0.05 will make you more creative and relaxed. The others scoff at such nonsense, but Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) decides to imbibe at work and finds the results encouraging. Feeling disconnected from his wife and kids and dealing with burnout at work, a swig of vodka was just the kick that Martin needed. A previously listless history class is engaged when Martin contextualizes WWII as an election between candidates 1, 2, and 3, with humorous results.
Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen), Peter (Lars Ranthe), and Nikolaj (Magnus Millang) join in thereafter and find a similar rejuvenation in their personal and professional lives. It’s once they decide to escalate to near-constant binge drinking that the group puts everything at risk. Here is where Another Round distinguishes itself from tales of fragile masculinity observed in The Hangover. Confronted with what his kids assume is alcoholism, Martin is shattered that the riotous good times he shares with Tommy, Peter, and Nikolaj aren’t perceived the same way on the outside. Blowing .05 on a breathalyzer hasn’t solved his problems, it’s only made Martin more distant.
Another Round brilliantly weaves the blast of being buzzed and the comedown of hangovers inside the film’s story structure. Mads Mikkelsen is captivating as he chases the ecstasy of youth while knowing the travails of aging and maturity still await him. Condensed to a blurb, the film might resemble a famous Homer Simpson quote, yet director Thomas Vinterberg digs further, giving Another Round an emotional depth that keeps viewers watching through the highs and lows.
