Another Round (Thomas Vinterberg, 2020) aka Druk
Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe
This film is a two-hour long advertisement for the wondrous benefits of the consumption of alcohol. And also a documentation of the form of alcoholism endemic in Danish culture. The story purports to show that the use of alcohol can make life better, but shows one of the four main characters actually dying as a result of his dependence, a second pissing on his wife in a drunken stupor in their bed, while the principal character's marriage breaks down. The marriage is supposed to be becoming a possibility again at the end, but only in text messages shown on the screen as merely that. What the final scene actually shows is Mads Mikkelsen's character getting written off again, in the company of his just-graduated high school students - who are also all getting smashed as fast as possible, and in a key quay location - and immediately after the funeral of the aforesaid dead guy. The freeze-frame at the end shows Mads diving into the harbour in his best black funeral suit. ... I gather this is supposedly an uplifting experience for the viewers both in and watching the film.
I didn't think there was anything good about this at all. No stars from me.
Wikipedia: Another Round (Danish: Druk) is a 2020 Danish comedy drama film, directed by Thomas Vinterberg, from a screenplay by Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm. It stars Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, and Lars Ranthe.
It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September 2020. It was released in Denmark on 24 September 2020 by Nordisk Film, and was shown at the Adelaide Film Festival in October 2020. It was selected as the Danish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards.
Antoine Corte: ... Thomas Vinterberg s’emploie à décrire des situations chaotiques en utilisant l’alcool, non comme une cause des maux, mais comme un révélateur des faiblesses de chacun. Mads Mikkelsen interprète en cela un homme à la situation familiale brisée. ...
Loin d’être moralisateur, ce drame social témoigne de l’attractivité de la perte de contrôle provisoire, tout en étant dans la bienveillance envers ceux qui ont perdu pied en y étant sombré. Bulles de culture.
IMDb user Simon Woodhart: I had a few misgivings about watching this film as someone who has not had a sip of alcohol in over six months. ... if I were to judge this film as a recovering alcoholic and try to pinpoint a message to the film, then I would have some trouble. I believe the film is a commentary on the absurdity of Danish drinking culture. Not being Danish I maybe can't fully comprehend the social intricacies, but being British I can certainly understand (drinking is our culture). For better or worse this film doesn't appear to state definitively whether drinking alcohol is good or bad. Certainly you view tragedy born from over imbibing, but then it shows that there are some positives. For someone like me who wishes to moderate but can't and wants a binary judgement, this rubs me the wrong way. In short, I would say good film with a weak ending.
Garry Gillard | reviews | New: 17 January, 2021 | Now: 18 January, 2021