Another Round – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Directed by: Thomas Vinterberg
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe
In cinemas July 2nd

This hugely acclaimed and award-winning Danish film finally arrives in Irish cinemas. Starring the wonderful Mads Mikkelsen (honestly I’ve never seen him give a bad performance) as Martin, a disillusioned history teacher. Along with his friends and colleagues Tommy (Larsen), Peter (Ranthe) and Nikolaj (Millang) he undertakes an experiment to ensure that their blood alcohol levels never drop below 0.05% to test a theory that this makes you more creative and relaxed.

Initially, all four find that their lives are enhanced. They are better educators and their personal lives are going swimmingly. However, as they begin to play around with the percentages and also take to binge drinking things take a turn for the worse leading them to abandon the experiment but the repercussions of their actions linger long after they quit.

This is a wonderful tragicomedy with a fantastic performance by Mikkelson and the entire cast. You care about all the characters and become heavily invested in their stories.

It is thoughtfully directed by Vinterberg (Festen, The Hunt) who also co-wrote this. It has intoxicating (sorry I couldn’t resist) moments coupled with devastatingly dark scenes and really does take you on a journey. It also has one of the best dance scenes ever committed to film. Honestly, it is joyous. Extremely engaging and thought-provoking, this is completely deserving of all the accolades it has received.