What is the most famous phrase you hear when you’re on a night out with your friends in your local bar and you’re not ready to go home just yet? “Another round!” What’s even better to add to the phrase, is “on me“.
Well, if that’s your favourite phrase to hear, then maybe you would want to have a go at this upcoming film that will be shown in cinemas this week — “Another Round (Druk)”, starring the actor who played the infamous Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Mads Mikkelsen.
“Another Round” is a Danish dark comedy that revolves around Martin (Mikkelsen) and his three friends, whom all worked as teachers in the same high school. Martin’s a history teacher, Nikolaj’s a psychology teacher, Tommy’s a physical education teacher, while Peter teaches music. They all seem to struggle with midlife crisis, but found the solution in alcohol and a Norwegian psychiatrist, Finn Skårderud’s theory of how humans are born with 0.05% low alcohol blood levels.
The film might seem slightly heavy at the start but it will definitely take you on an emotional rollercoaster. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will feel the sorrow together with the bunch. Here are the reasons why we liked this film, and why we think you should grab the tickets while you can to watch it:
1. Changes your perspective on alcohol
One of the main reasons that we like this film is because it opens you up to a whole new perspective. Of course, we are well-informed on how alcohol is bad for your health (well, not all..some are actually good for your heart), and leads you to bad decisions at the end of the day. But with Skårderud’s theory, and these characters trying to test it out on themselves, we know there’s another side to it.
We get to see with just the right amount, (of course, as long as you know your limits) it can significantly change your life. Martin is more confident in teaching his students, approaches his teaching methods in a different way; Peter is more creative, his senses are heightened; while Tommy is more active and aware in coaching his football team.
2. Invokes nostalgia
Since this film revolves around the school settings and although the main characters aren’t youngsters, the film will somehow invoke a nostalgic feeling in you. Especially during the night out scenes with the characters; be it during the intro or when the plot starts thickening. It will in a way remind you of the life pre-COVID, where you could go to bars and be surrounded by crowds without a single worry of virus transmission. But, that’s all in the past (more like, a couple of years ago) and all that we can do now is reminisce. Because we have got a new norm ahead of us to live with!
Another aspect that invokes nostalgia is the colour palette used in the film. We have to admit that the cinematography skills might not be out of this world or something, but, we are absolutely in love with the palette used! It has this soft warm tinge throughout the film that invokes nostalgia, despite how the tone might be slightly altered depending on the mood of the scenes.
3. Real people, real life
You know how most films often end with the cliché happy ending and all that jazz? Yeah, this one kind of does too. But it’s in a sense that, despite all the bad things and hardships you’re going through, everything will fall into place. Just like real life is.
The plot touches all kind of issues that you go through once you’ve hit middle age; divorce, your friends dying, battling addiction, mental illness, etc. It’s the sense of “realness” that adds more to the beauty of this film. It doesn’t lie nor sugarcoat about how depressing middle life crisis is. You’ll get to see how Martin loses interest in everything, even the thing that he is most passionate about and ends up rotting his life away as a teacher who barely teaches anything. You’ll see how his marriage slowly crumbles, and how Nikolaj’s household is a mess while he struggles with his young children, barely getting any sleep. You’ll witness the pain of losing a long time pain to addiction and mental illness.
In a way, it reminds you of how you are not going through all these issues by yourself, but it also shows how everything will get better and fall into place. They all get to see their students graduate, Martin slowly reconciles with his wife, and Nikolaj’s household condition slowly improves.
4. Subtlety
The tiny fun facts inserted subtly somewhere in the scripts are also the reason that entertained us in the film! Since Martin is a history teacher, audiences will also get the chance to learn a little bit of history here and there. Like how Churchill was an alcoholic too, and how Hitler was actually a decent individual (of course, if you turn a blind eye to the things he did as a dictator).
Another subtle aspect of the film that might seem effortless or insignificant, would be the drunk scenes. Let us give you in on a fun fact, the actors did not drink nor even sip alcohol during the shoot. How did they manage to look absolutely wasted, then? (Of course, other than the fact that they are spectacular actors and well, they’re European.) They actually have this “booze boot camp” as described by Mikkelsen, which involves Danish police reports of drunkards and rubbing Schnapps all over the actors’ faces.
5. It’s the little things
Last but also most loved aspect, would be how impactful the little things the main characters did that fill up the stories of the side characters that seem insignificant. It’s how Tommy who felt useless but made one of the biggest impact in the film to one of the children in his football team, Specs, by just encouraging others to include him and pass the ball to him in one of the matches for the young lad to make the winning kick.
It’s how he felt so insignificant and small, but he’s the most important person in his dog, Laban’s life. He has also concomitantly helped fixed Martin and Anika’s marriage, with just a simple phrase of, “It has always been the two of you, Martin and Anika“. He has made a big impact on the people around him with his small act of kindness without even realising it.
Honestly, we could go on and on all day long telling you about why we are in love with this film, but that would just spoil the whole film for you, won’t it? So, you might as well go to the nearest cinema, and join the bunch in their rollercoaster of experimenting with blood alcohol levels. Who knows, you might even notice more things to fall in love with from the movie (other than Mads Mikkelsen himself, of course)!
So, would you go for “Another Round”?
