Another Round - 2 nominations

 

Best International Feature Film Denmark

Best Achievement in Directing Thomas Vinterberg

Another Round opens with the most drunken debauchery by graduating high school students since Animal House.  If this film is correct, drinking in Denmark is not something to be taken casually, it's an activity for professionals, and everybody is certified.  The film follows four friends, all teachers at a school, all of whom have lost their lust for life.  With varying degrees of relationship problems, apathy in the classroom, and a general malaise, they decide to embark on an experiment.  What would like be like if they were just slightly drunk all the time?  They establish ground rules and at first blush, their tipsy lives do improve.  They get more creative in the classroom.  They give more and better attention to their families.  They experience joy for the first time in what appears to be a long time.  

But to be honest, even in the good times, I was holding my breath knowing that the bad times were around the corner.  Alcoholism, poor decision making, and even an added experiment in the other direction - how would life be if they all got the most drunk they could possibly get (hopefully) without dying?  And as the alcohol begins to erode their lives, for at least one of the four friends, the experiment has gone almost irretrievably awry.  In the most admirable decision by the filmmakers, the ending doesn't leave us with a clear commentary on whether the experiment has been successful, and whether the friends are now in a better or worse place.  

As with all Danish productions that rise to the top, this film was absolutely outstanding (though, if I had my druthers, Regina King would have taken Vinterberg's spot in the Directing category.). In fact, I hope you see this film and use it as an inspiration to further explore tv and film out of Denmark.  With all the attention that goes to Hollywood, I have yet to discover a Danish production I haven't liked... with the caveat that likely only the best of their lot gets exported to the US.

Watch the trailer here.

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