It could be said that 'Another Round' is a film about men. Poor, misunderstood men, who live with women who have jobs and don't have sex with them enough and ask them to go shopping for things like nappies and fresh fish. Men who have no other option but to reinvigorate their lives through the means of alcohol so that they can rediscover their lost boyhoods and camaraderie. They can fall over a lot in the way of charming rapscallions which is above all darkly humorous in a manner that is unthinkable if it is women falling over drunk.
But 'Another Round' is a Danish film, directed by Thomas Vinterberg and so, is actually a work of philosophical exploration disguised as a dark comedy. Friends and teachers Martin, Tommy, Peter and Nikolaj, all at various stages of that perilous lacuna we call mid-life, decide to test the theory of psychiatrist Finn Skarderud who muses that a blood alcohol content of 0.05 enhances creativity and enables a more relaxed lifestyle. The film in its native Danish is called 'Druk' which means binge-drinking and this gives an idea of how the 'experiment' progresses. To pad out Skarderud's hypothesis, examples are given throughout the film of successful statesmen and artists who spent their lives in some state of inebriation. Churchill is quoted as having said,
"When I was younger I made it a rule never to take strong drink before lunch. It is now my rule never to do so before breakfast."
Men, eh?
The cast of the film, whilst having nailed the drunken stumble, bring much more to its heart than humour. Mads Mikkelsen is an actor whose ability to convey pathos must be unrivalled. In one of the opening scenes, the friends gather to celebrate Nikolaj's 40th birthday. What better way to start any film or book or play than with a 40th birthday? The point when life pivots for so many but for Martin (played by Mikkelsen) who is older, life is spiralling rather than pivoting. Mikkelsen's performance in this scene is one of show-stopping sadness. When his friends notice his wet eyes they ask him what is wrong and his response is something like, "Nothing has happened. I don't see many people." He is a man crushed by the great weight of nothingness. This is what this film understands and communicates to us so effectively; that the greatest tragedy in life is not an event but an absence; an inability to live fully or to take risks. As the men set out to recapture something of their former selves, they discover, inevitably that apart from re-setting their attitudes to life, alcohol is largely ineffectual at changing anything in a meaningful way. Martin, Peter and Nikolaj realise that life is about human connection and seem to have some success at forging more honest relationships with those around them. Only Tommy, however, finds that alcohol fills his life entirely and once his alcoholism is known, decides to take his own life.
The revelations of the film seem to retell my own relationship with alcohol from an enthusiastic teenager to a disillusioned forty-something, all condensed into two hours. Indeed, this seems to be Vinterberg's intention also because his initial screenplay was inspired by the excessive drinking habits of the Danish youth. As it developed the scope of the film expanded but the antics of the teenagers that the men teach provide a heady portrait of youth binge-drinking. As if to confound basic moralising the film ends on a joyful high as a drunken Martin dances expressively with his graduating students, all the time knocking back the alcohol with greedy abandon. As he leaps into the water for the final freeze-frame, the message seems to be that temptation is a natural part of life. We do not have to deny ourselves always but living life to its rich fullness requires profound bravery.
