LFF Review: Another Round / Druk (Thomas Vinterberg)

Mads Mikkelsen and Thomas Vinterberg seem made for each other. Building from the dizzyingly visceral realism of his early masterpiece Festen (1998), Vinterberg has always been highly attentive to the stark complexities of people’s lives and social relationships. Mikkelsen is one of the only working actors with the infinite subtlety required to sell these very human dramas and make them stand above most other films.

Their work together is achingly real and yet heightened and deeply subjective. Another Round (Druk) is about Danish drinking culture, but it also rides the sometimes unnerving and tricky line between portraying alcohol as a social lubricant and as a drug that destroys relationships. Mikkelsen plays Martin, an indifferent and dull history teacher. On top of his general ineptitude and lack of enthusiasm, he is growing increasingly detached from his wife and the teenagers that he is supposed to instruct. 

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When three of his peers suggest a drinking pact as a sort of sociological trial to spice up their lives, he begrudgingly accepts. Hijinks – and acute emotional breakdowns – ensue. Even the party that they form this coalition of constant, slight drunkenness at is complexly framed as a place of intimacy for Martin, but also one of peer pressure and awkward, shattered friendships. Attention to aspects like the warm, seductive lighting of the restaurant mean that Vinterberg for the most part makes these conflicts believable and compelling.

While the friends’ notion that ‘we drink when we want to, alcoholics can’t help themselves’ seems naive from the start, each of these great actors (Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, and Lars Ranthe) portray emphatically the struggles they face before and after the introduction of this strange experiment. Similarly, a keen sense of rhythm in the film’s music and editing propels us on this multifaceted, strange journey. 

To expand upon the plot a little, their idea is based, Nikolaj (Magnus Millang) states, on a philosopher’s idea that humans live generally with a deficiency in Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) levels, and therefore need to drink relatively small amounts throughout the day for peak social effectiveness. At the start, this bears out. Martin, for example, becomes energetic and humourous in lessons, building a more intimate bond with his students.

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The fact that these youngsters have their own drinking culture provides another facet to the movie, reinforcing the notion that the leads are becoming older and increasingly out of touch, yet drawing these disparate groups together at vital moments. One point were a teacher gives a student alcohol is a bit questionable, though the taboo nature of booze in this environment helps to make encounters diverse and fraught with tension. 

Each of the friends has a number of well-realised, truthful problems to deal with, ranging from pissing off (and pissing on) their wives to simply finding more enjoyment and satisfaction in life. The piece aims for a bittersweet tone, bounding from gleeful partying to loneliness and failure. In all that it captures – the allure of alcohol, its effects on friendships and on how we live – it is incredibly accurate. 

On the other hand, it is hard to know what to gain from the film. Of course, it is beneficial to not moralise or provide simple answers to these issues; but, in terms of where it ends up, I just wanted the lads to put down the drinks for a while. It seems a little inconsistent on the way out, equally a condemnation and a celebration – true to the dilemma of it all, yet potentially denying how the characters likely feel after what has occurred. 

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Aside from the confusion that I had at the ending, the structure here is really nice. The pretence of professionalism provided by the teachers’ experiment is heightened by title cards, illuminating just how drunk they are and helping things escalate and flow clearly and entertainingly. Dialogue scenes are brutal and beautiful, though the thematic concerns of the film aren’t exactly innovative or unexpected.  

This latter point is a perennial feeling with Vinterberg’s most recent work: nothing groundbreaking, but everything immaculately, artfully directed. Performances are stunning, the settings interesting and profoundly realistic. I loved seeing the chemistry with the students as well as Martin’s relationship with his wife. Though I may have pieced it together imperfectly, the last scene is a great, absolutely unreserved expression of resilience and joy. Honestly, it’s worth it just for that.