Another Round

Another Round
Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe, Magnus Millang
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg

In one of the classic "The Simpsons" episodes, Springfield was hit with a Prohibition-style mandate that made alcohol illegal, and of course Homer found a way to smuggle alcohol in anyway. As with the real-life repeal of Prohibition, this too happens in the fictional town, with the entire community celebrating by - of course - getting drunk. Homer then proclaims: "To alcohol! The cause of...and solution to...all of life's problems." If you're looking for a feature-length film that fully encapsulates this concept, "Another Round" is right up your alley - and it's got a strong pedigree that firmly establishes it as something more than a mere tale, but elevates it to a must-see modern-day masterwork.

Friends and fellow teachers Martin (Mads Mikkelsen), Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen), Peter (Lars Ranthe), and Nikolaj (Magnus Millang) are in the throngs of a mid-life crisis. Martin has lost his zeal for teaching history and is further isolated by his wife and family. Tommy can't find a soulmate and sleeps through coaching kids' soccer. Peter also can't find love and has no hope for his high school chorus students to ever find their notes. Nikolaj is dealing with three bed-wetting young children and breezes through his philosophy courses. While enjoying Nikolaj's fortieth birthday, he brings up the psychiatrist Finn Skarderud, who concluded that having a blood alcohol content of 0.05 makes you more creative and relaxed. Taking on this concept as an experiment, the four friends establish the rules and start drinking.

Soon all four men begin to find a re-vitalization in their lives, especially Martin. He is more energetic at school and begins to inspire his students with lively historical discussions and interactions, and he's more present at home with the children and especially his wife. His friends also find a new zeal for life, and then they decide to up the ante and see what happens when their blood alcohol level keeps increasing. As with any search for a greater high, there's the euphoric highs, but comes with a terrible price.

The idea for "Another Round" came from the mind of director Thomas Vinterberg (who just received an Oscar nomination for Best Director for this film), who had written the story as a play, but his daughter Ira convinced him to make it a film after discussing the drinking culture of the Danish youth. At first the film was going to be, in the words of Vinterberg, "a celebration of alcohol based on the thesis that world history would have been different without alcohol," but four days into filming, his daughter Ida was killed in a car accident, and he changed the script to make it more life-affirming, and, as Vinterberg stated, "it should not just be about drinking. It was about being awakened to life." To this end, Vinterberg hit the nail on the head, crafting a well-thought-out film that could've fallen into the traditional cliche tropes of the dangers of alcoholism, but excellently stayed away from such instances. Instead, while the film did have truly somber moments, it really did highlight the aspect of it being never too late to value the importance of life and everything it has to offer - after a few drinks, of course.

The film begins slow, with the introduction of the four protagonists who are each going through their own struggles in life, but the mainstay performance is the ever-amazing (and often underappreciated) Mads Mikkelsen, who worked with Vinterberg on "The Hunt." Mikkelsen manages to always play the character who's the most grounded, yet is also one that can captivate the camera as no one else can, providing an unflinching performance as Martin, a man who has lost his zeal for life, but finds it again with the help of alcohol and his three best friends. The film does a great job at showing that it's not the alcohol that makes you change your perspective on life, but it assists in releasing your inhibitions and opening your eyes to the joyous world around you - as long as its done in moderation. Martin is the perfect example of this, and it was a role tailor-made for the veteran actor.

The story ebbs and flows with the highs and lows that the characters go through, but through it all it maintains a zest for life and highlights the little things in the world that makes it worth living, and it's not all about the alcohol - but rather those who you drink the alcohol with. The bond and unity between these four friends is encapsulating, and feels completely natural, and each one has their own story that endears you to their character. You feel the same passion that they do once they begin their experiment, and can't help but smile as you see how it positively affects their lives and outlooks.

This makes for an even more gut-punching realization when they decide to raise the stakes and see what happens when their blood alcohol level is raised more than the 0.05%, and you find yourself yelling at the television, telling them not to do it, much like you'd yell at a damsel in distress in a horror movie who's about to open the door to inadvertently let the killer inside. You know nothing good will come from it, and all you can do is helplessly sit back and watch as it begins to destroy their lives - and hope for a better outcome. Fortunately, as most movies do, this one ends on a positive note that'll have you smiling and enjoying the little things in life much like these friends have, and maybe feel your own emotional buzz as the credits start rolling.

Highlighting the importance of a life well lived, "Another Round" shows the tight bonds of friendship that are further tightened by the shared enjoyment of alcohol, proving you're never too old to find your joy in life and who you spend your life with.

The Score: A+