Another Round

A great drama focused on the concept of somehow controlled alcoholism. Vinterberg again captures important details which he dresses in a plot about real problems of our age. The acting is top-notch, Mads is cleverly hidden away at first, only to become the powerhouse of the movie in the finale. Alcohol as a friend and as a destructive power. A picture about weaknesses. (03/01/2021)

To paraphrase Homer Simpson, sometimes alcohol is the cause of and solution to all of life’s problems. Vinterberg has a fresh and well-written screenplay to work with and, above all, collaboration with the famous Sturla Brandth Grøvlen, who managed to combine realism and camera kinetics into a form where one really feels close to being intoxicated. Yes, in some ways it's like a model-driven drama in the vein of The Hunt, where you feel like you know where it's headed. But Vinterberg managed to be painfully personal and civil, something he desperately couldn't do in the dead film The Commune. His characters and their drunken movement of reality are completely free of morality, and there is something unusually sincere in this film. While Vinterberg occasionally worked as a mannerist or apathetic silver screen worker after The Celebration, urgency and sarcastic energy prevail here. This film is one of the best dramatizations of emptiness and the feeling of worthlessness that comes at a certain age. At the same time, Another Round brilliantly captures the fleeting feelings of euphoria and the moments when a person gets the feeling that he has gotten the better of life (and is then immediately disappointed). This is a film about a painful search, a destructive friendship and also about the fact that catharsis does not necessarily mean finding an answer, but rather surrendering to the moment. With this final performance, Mikkelsen confirms his best form and, with his movement, describes something that I know very well. It is something I don't see all that often in a film in this transparent Nordic openness. (08/10/2020)

Thomas Vinterberg, Mads Mikkelsen, and old friends from The Celebration (1998). Or the next generation of the Danish film miracle of the 90s. The Hunt (2012) was already brilliant and it will be great if Vinterberg and Mikkelsen find another common theme in the future. Another Round is one of those cinematic experiences that can be easily talked about as gems. (10/01/2021)

The Danish creators decided to show the world that the Czech saying “to drink like a Dane” is not accidental, and they did a pretty decent job. If my health permitted it, I would start looking for a suitable theory that I could test (or detest) on myself, which would undoubtedly brighten up my gray days. Mads Mikkelsen was traditionally great in his role and I had no reason to be dissatisfied. (07/01/2021)

Thomas Vinterberg has once again dared to cut to the quick. To make it as punchy as possible, he brought in Tobias Lindholm and Mads Mikkelsen to help him out again. This collaboration alone is a guarantee of quality for me, and it was confirmed once again. Another Round follows the story of four friends who decide to live by the motto "alcohol is the scourge of mankind and it needs to be tackled daily". This is also why it is not a full-blooded drama like The Hunt. There are a few lighter scenes, but painful and distressing moments start piling up as time goes on... For a while before the end I was hesitating between four and five stars, but then the irresistible Mads Mikkelsen showed his dancing skills and the decision was made for me. (90%) (03/07/2022)