Another Round: Thomas Vinterberg and Mads Mikkelsen ask the darkly comic question, 'Do I think better when I drink?'

By Jim Slotek

Rating: B-plus

Our complicated relationship with alcohol is rendered mostly without judgment in Danish director Thomas Vinterberg’s darkly comic drama Another Round, his latest collaboration with Mads Mikkelsen (The Hunt).

Is it literally a “social lubricant,” a substance that loosens up our thoughts and creativity a la Hemingway and Churchill? Is it the “demon” it’s often made out to be, leaving ruined lives in its wake? Or is it merely a symptom, an outlet, for other things that may be wrong?

A slightly inebriated Mads Mikkelsen makes history come alive for his students in Another Round.

It would be folly to deliver a verdict, and Another Round provides fodder for all points of view, even as it unfolds with a kind of alcoholic predictability.

As a history teacher facing a mid-life crisis, Mikkelsen is riveting as the straw that stirs this social experiment, his flinty face barely hiding his pain both before and after he signs on with his pals to test a theory.

The theory, as specious as it sounds, originates from a Norwegian psychiatrist named Finn Skårderud. For whatever complex reason, it posits that humans are born with a need for a small amount of alcohol in their bloodstream - .05, no more and no less, to provide maximum acuity.

The theory is the topic of conversation for four middle-aged schoolteachers celebrating a birthday at a bar, a 40th for psychology teacher Nikolaj (Magnus Millang). Music teacher Peter (Lars Ranthe) and athletic coach Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen) are suitably in their cups, while the designated driver, history teacher Martin (Mikkelsen) sticks to soft drinks (for a while).

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Their inebriated confessions of unhappiness, and fascination with the .05 theory leads them to an agreement. Using monitors, they will maintain that level, only drinking at work and never at night.

The conceit of the movie is that this experiment actually works at first. Bolstered by a few hits of vodka, Martin brings history to life in his class for the first time in years. The others, similarly enervated, bring similar passion. Funks are broken. At one point, we even get to see Mikkelsen dance (he’s quite good).

There are inherent problems with the experiment though, including the risk of getting caught drinking at school and an unwise moment when a student is counselled to have a drink before a test.

But the real pothole in the road, of course, is that for many people, alcohol is like a Lay’s potato chip. One is not enough. And it’s not long before our experiment participants “reason” that the success they’ve experienced from a little alcohol can only be improved upon by consuming more. Eventually, absinthe is involved.

This is a bad turn, both for our protagonists and their families - including Martin’s wife (Maria Bonnevie) and son (Magnus Sjørup). Counterbalanced against scenes of teens drinking, perhaps a glimpse of a future similar to the present, Another Round allows for interpretation, one of which is that the ability to turn away from the bottle may be proportional to the extent of one’s personal happiness.

While these are points to ponder, Another Round’s best moments come when Vinterberg and Mikkelsen collaborate on depicting “a little bit drunk,” that state of initial happy release alcohol can provide, especially when you’re wound tightly, even for a Scandinavian. 

Mikkelsen’s affecting performance is backed by an exceptional ensemble cast, who bring to life the fears and emotional scars that come with age, and the part alcohol can play in it, for better or worse.

Another Round. Directed by Thomas Vinterberg. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Magnus Millang and Maria Bonnevie. Available Friday, December 18 on VOD. Also opening in theatres in Vancouver, Ottawa, Sudbury, Kingston, Saskatoon and Regina.