Another Round - 2020
"Sometimes the fix isn’t really the fix." - @Scott Sipling
Sometimes the fix, ironically, only points us to the source of the problem. To the place where dark thoughts and feelings fester, where brokenness comes to light. Once there, we have a choice. We can wither. Or, we can begin to do the hard work of the actual “fix,” i.e. transforming ourselves from the inside out. Of course, “we” in this case is four middle-aged teachers at a private school in Denmark. And the “fix”…is low-level inebriation.
If I were going to begin recommending this tremendous work to anyone, I’d probably start at the very top – with the film’s stellar director and star. Thomas Vinterberg cut his teeth in realism. Teaming up with his fellow Danish directing buddy Lars von Trier, the duo founded the Dogme 95 school and its “Vows of Chastity.” Without delineating this sort of Ten Commandments of filmmaking in this tight space, suffice it to say that the movement attempted to place a premium on naturalism and realism, eschewing all forms of technology and special effects. Sure, these theses had their impetus in grabbing auteristic power back from major studios. But they were more about foregrounding characters and story. No outside props. No period pieces or artificial lighting. No gimmicks. Just full-orbed characters in real narratives with real depth and insight.
Now, in the many years since the mid-90’s, Vinterberg has obviously moved away from some of these things. The thrilling conclusion of Another Round, for instance, would not have been possible due to the stringent criteria of the movement. BUT the man has still maintained the idea of characters and narrative FIRST. We get the sense first that each of these four men are people we could encounter on the street, or at our local bars, or even as our work colleagues. When you take this and wed it to the powerhouse chops of Mads Mikkelsen, a man known more stateside for villains and action capers, you have something elevated indeed. All one needs to do is look back to the last pairing of these two together, The Hunt. They make riveting stuff in tandem.
Still, what is Another Round really all about anyway? In two words, as a brilliant friend of mine once dubbed it, “midlife malaise.” It’s about what happens when individuals hit a rut. When they stop finding joy in the work they’re doing or the relationships of which they are a part. This is four men trying to break free of a midlife crisis, where everything feels rote and their spark seems to have gone out. It’s about taking risks, searching for inspiration in the doldrums.
So, this is all well and good. But what about the nuts and bolts of plot? Well, one of these men gets the brilliant idea - What if we just drink a little bit and arrive at a low level of inebriation AT ALL TIMES. And so they do. This is the part where the film is hilarious. Vinterberg deftly explores the way that a small amount of alcohol can loosen our tongues and free us from our insecurities to take risks and chances. We witness these men start to find something. Mads becomes a more engaging teacher and begins to connect with his students and family. Another music teacher friend starts exploring “outside the box” methods to reach his choir kids. A third grows into a more adept coach and so on. Each man has their moments of breakthrough. They try things, and they actually work!
But, at the same time, there’s a dangerous line at play here. Vinterberg uses alcohol and inebriation to explore the more uncontrollable aspects of adulthood as well. As the old adage goes, “What goes up, must come down.” So, Another Roundturns a corner in the third act into much more dramatic territory. Consequences begin to come to bear. One character begins to fall a little TOO in love with the booze. Vinterberg adroitly examines how going over the top can be a total social, family, and career killer.
I often talk about films in terms of layers or levels. This is almost an example par excellence of that trend. Another Round is operating on the surface level of friendship and camaraderie, partying and entertainment that takes place in a drinking culture. But, it is also this much deeper dissection of adults examining who they are and what to make of this phase of their lives. An inquiry of midlife and legacy and what our work, our actions mean in the world.
In the end, this was the film most unique this year for me in one sense. I watched it and thought it was quite good, for all the reasons I’ve just mentioned. But in the hours and days after viewing it, it just kept climbing and climbing in my estimation. It’s a work that runs the gamut of emotions from tears of laughter to those of anguish. Nowhere is this more crystallized than in my favorite ending of the year, hands down. One of the greatest conclusions that I can remember in this or any year. It is jubilant and oddly cathartic altogether. The joy of dancing with utter abandon, in a glimpse of a trained professional like Mads Mikkelsen. The alcohol doesn’t solve everything, or really anything for that matter. But it does catalyze the kind of metamorphosis that turns a somber ponderer into a triumphant coryphée.
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