Earlier this year the Cannes Film Festival was cancelled due to something that rhymes with COVID-19 pandemic. I haven’t had enough coffee yet. However while the stars might not be able to strut their stuff on the red carpet and reveal their latest projects in person, the festival organisers decided to still go ahead and announce their 2020 lineup of features that would’ve been shown at the event. This took place on Wednesday evening, and you can catch the full lineup here if you’re interested.
One immediately caught my eye because it happens to star one of my favourite actors, Mads Mikkelsen, who’s just superb in everything he does. Another Round, or Druk if you prefer the original Danish title, is a Danish-language drama about four friends (Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe, and Magnus Millang) who decide to test the theory that imbibing a small amount of alcohol a day in order to maintain a minor level of inebriation will improve their lives. However while this bubbly bunch experience positive results at first, it’s very easy to stumble while under the influence.
The movie is also a reunion of sorts, as director Thomas Vinterberg, co-writer Tobias Lindholm, and many of the actors worked together on 2012’s excellent Oscar-nominated drama The Hunt.
The official plot synopsis is as follows:
There’s a theory that we should be born with a small amount of alcohol in our blood, and that modest inebriation opens our minds to the world around us, diminishing our problems and increasing our creativity. Heartened by that theory, Martin and three of his friends, all weary high school teachers, embark on an experiment to maintain a constant level of intoxication throughout the workday. If Churchill won WW2 in a heavy daze of alcohol, who knows what a few drops might do for them and their students?
Initial results are positive, and the teachers’ little project turns into a genuine academic study. Both their classes and their results continue to improve, and the group feels alive again! As the units are knocked back, some of the participants see further improvement and others go off the rails. It becomes increasingly clear that while alcohol may have fueled great results in world history, some bold acts carry consequences.
Let’s take a look:
It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt, and it looks like plenty of people are getting hurt in the end. This seems like an excellent drama provided you don’t mind a bit of reading.
What do you think?
Another Round doesn’t have an international distributor as yet as it was due to premiere at Cannes, but I expect it will pop up on on-demand or digital services fairly soon.
Last Updated: June 5, 2020
