Another Round

It's almost St. Patrick's Day

That usually means booze.

Take a sip or two tomorrow

What's there to lose?

Now comes a movie on Hulu

About four guys who drink up

Another Round is its name

So now, let's look in the cup.

In less rhyming terms, Another Round is Denmark's latest entry in the Best International Film Oscar race. Director and co-writer Thomas Vinterberg also got nominated as Best Director yesterday. His story follows High School teachers Martin (Mads Mikkelsen), Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen), Peter (Lars Ranthe) and Nikolaj (Magnus Millang). All four are bored with their lives. One night, they talk about Finn Skarderud, a psychiatrist who theorized that humans naturally lack 0.05% in BAC. So Martin decides to make up the difference and see what happens.

The result is that Martin becomes a livelier teacher and a happier man. The others join in and get that buzz they've missed. They decide to push their BAC higher and see what happens. And higher, and higher. Until it stops being funny and starts to wreck their social and professional lives.

It's a great story developed by Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm. The film opens with students running a raucous drinking race; that's followed by the boredom of their school hours. The four stepping off the wagon is an audacious experiment. There's even a montage of politicians apparently acting drunk. So it's amazing when it nets them positive results in their professional and daily lives. The only problem is that they don't stop. Martin gets more violent, Nikolaj becomes unreliable and Tommy actually shows up to work wasted. Peter gets the most positive outcome as he notices a worried student and helps him succeed; that was the best subplot.

Now for the main cast. The four leads are delightful when they loosen up. Mikkelsen as Martin is the most entertaining of the bunch, especially during the end. So naturally, it's tragic to see them descend further into alcoholism. Tommy gets the worst outcome of the experiment, while Peter and Nikolaj stop themselves in time. Martin's drinking tests his relationship with the audience and his wife, Anika (Maria Bennevie). But the film ends with a bit of hope. 

Another Round earns its place as a frontrunner for the International Film Oscar. It's an engaging dramedy that may make one reconsider drinking or reinforce one's desire to never start. Its four leads are a great ensemble that never lose interest during 117 minutes. Mikkelsen should get more entertaining roles as this. I saw it on Hulu but other streaming services have it too. Wherever you see it is a good option. Just see it.