Another Round
{{Short description|2020 film by Thomas Vinterberg}}
{{About|the film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Another Round
| image = Another Round (film).jpg
| caption = Danish theatrical release poster
| native_name = {{Infobox name module|da|Druk}}
| director = Thomas Vinterberg
| screenplay = {{Plainlist|
- Thomas Vinterberg
- Tobias Lindholm
}}
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- Sisse Graum Jørgensen
- Kasper Dissing
}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
}}
| cinematography = Sturla Brandth Grøvlen
| editing = {{Plainlist|
- Anne Østerud
- Janus Billeskov Jansen
}}
| studio = {{Plainlist|
- Zentropa Entertainments
- Film i Väst
- Zentropa Sweden
- Topkapi Films
- Zentropa Netherlands
}}
| distributor = Nordisk Film Distribution (Denmark){{cite web|url=https://www.dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/film/druk|title=ANOTHER ROUND|website=Danish Film Institute|access-date=5 June 2020}}
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2020|09|12|TIFF|2020|09|24|Denmark}}
| country = {{Plainlist|
- Denmark
- Sweden
- Netherlands{{cite web|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/film/387822/|title=ANOTHER ROUND|website=Cineuropa|access-date=2 March 2021}}
}}
| language = Danish
| budget = kr33.5 million{{cite web |last1=Carving |first1=Michael |title=Optagelserne til Thomas Vinterbergs "Druk" er i gang igen! |url=http://danske-biografer.dk/optagelserne-til-thomas-vinterbergs-druk-er-i-gang-igen/ |website=danske-biografer.dk |publisher=Danske Biografer |access-date=14 December 2020 |language=da |date=12 June 2019 |archive-date=4 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804030526/http://danske-biografer.dk/optagelserne-til-thomas-vinterbergs-druk-er-i-gang-igen/ |url-status=dead }}
(€4.5 million){{Cite web |title=ANOTHER ROUND |url=https://trustnordisk.com/movie/another-round |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=trustnordisk.com |language=en-US}}
| gross = $21.7 million{{cite The Numbers|id=Druk-(Denmark)|title=Druk|access-date=25 August 2021}}
}}
Another Round ({{langx|da|Druk|lit=Binge drinking}}) is a 2020 black comedy-drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg, co-written with Tobias Lindholm. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, and Lars Ranthe, the film follows four high school teachers who experiment with maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their blood to boost creativity and confidence.
Premiering at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, the film won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and multiple other accolades. The film is dedicated to Vinterberg's daughter, Ida, who died during production.
Plot
Teachers Martin, Tommy, Peter, and Nikolaj are colleagues and friends who work at a gymnasium school in Copenhagen. All four struggle with unmotivated students and feel that their lives have become boring and stale. Martin is confronted by his senior students and their parents, who express that he has become a barrier to their passing their history exams. At a dinner celebrating Nikolaj's 40th birthday, the group discusses a theory inspired by the work of psychiatrist Finn Skårderud—that humans are born with a blood alcohol content (BAC) deficiency of 0.05% and that maintaining a BAC of 0.05% makes one more creative and relaxed.
The friends decide to embark on an experiment to test Skårderud's theory. They start a group log documenting their experiences as they drink at regular intervals to maintain this blood alcohol level. Two of them have personal struggles that make the experiment particularly appealing: Martin is depressed and alienated from his family and students, while Nikolaj's wife seems to have contempt for him. They agree on a set of rules: their BAC should never drop below 0.05 during the day on weekdays, and they should not drink after 8:00 p.m. or on weekends. Each man finds his own way to sneak alcohol during the day while teaching or coaching children, but they never drink and drive, with 0.05 being the legal limit.
Within a short period, all four find their work and private lives more enjoyable and successful. Martin, in particular, is delighted as he reconnects with his wife and children. His teaching becomes inspired, and his students begin enjoying class and respecting him. He even incorporates alcohol into his history lessons, engaging his heavy-drinking students. Encouraged by their success, the group decides to take the experiment further, increasing their BAC minimum to 0.10. Still feeling the benefits, they eventually push the boundaries further, deciding one night to drink to oblivion to test its liberating effects. However, after returning home incapacitated, both Martin and Nikolaj are confronted by their families. Martin's family expresses concern, revealing that they have known he has been drinking for weeks. He and his wife acknowledge their growing distance, and she admits to infidelity. The group abandons the experiment. Martin and his wife separate, and although he tries to make amends, she rejects him.
All members of the group stop drinking during the day, except for Tommy, whom the others try to support. However, at a faculty meeting where the headmaster reveals that teachers have been drinking at work, Tommy arrives visibly intoxicated. Later, he boards his boat while drunk, takes his old dog with him, motors out onto the bay, and ultimately goes overboard, drowning at sea.
After Tommy's funeral, the three remaining friends go out to dinner to celebrate his life, enjoying sparkling wine. While dining, Martin receives a text from his wife saying she misses him. As they sit by the harbour, recently graduated students pass by, celebrating in their customary drunken revelry. Martin, Peter, and Nikolaj join them in drinking and dancing. Martin, a former jazz ballet dancer, finally gives in to his colleagues' previous urgings and dances with the students. His movements grow increasingly energetic and joyous before he leaps off the harbour wall into the bay.
Cast
- Mads Mikkelsen as Martin
- Thomas Bo Larsen as Tommy
- Magnus Millang as Nikolaj
- Lars Ranthe as Peter
- Maria Bonnevie as Anika
- Helene Reingaard Neumann as Amalie
- Susse Wold as The Principal
- Magnus Sjørup as Jonas
- Silas Cornelius Van as Kasper
- Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt as Sebastian
- Martin Greis-Rosenthal as Overtjener
- Frederik Winther Rasmussen as Malthe
- Aksel Vedsegaard as Jason
Production
The film was based on a play Vinterberg had written while working at Burgtheater, Vienna.{{cite web |last1=Christensen |first1=Claus |title=Thomas Vinterberg taler ud om sorgen |url=https://www.ekkofilm.dk/artikler/thomas-vinterberg-taler-ud/ |website=ekkofilm.dk |publisher=Filmmagasinet Ekko |access-date=14 December 2020 |language=da |date=21 June 2020}} Additional inspiration came from Vinterberg's own daughter, Ida, who had told stories of the drinking culture within the Danish youth.{{cite news |last1=Mørck |first1=Astrid Helmer |last2=Søe |first2=Carl-Emil |title=Thomas Vinterbergs afdøde datter skulle have haft en rolle i hans nye film |url=https://underholdning.tv2.dk/2020-09-23-thomas-vinterbergs-afdoede-datter-skulle-have-haft-en-rolle-i-hans-nye-film |access-date=14 December 2020 |work=underholdning.tv2.dk |agency=TV2 |date=23 September 2020 |language=da}} Ida had originally pressed Vinterberg to adapt the play into a movie, and she was slated to play the daughter of Martin (Mads Mikkelsen). The story was originally "A celebration of alcohol based on the thesis that world history would have been different without alcohol." However, four days into filming, Ida was killed in a car accident. Following the tragedy, the script was reworked to become more life-affirming. "It should not just be about drinking. It was about being awakened to life," stated Vinterberg. Tobias Lindholm served as director in the week following the accident. The film was dedicated to Ida, and was partially filmed in her classroom with her classmates.
During production, the four main actors and Vinterberg would meet to drink just enough to let go of embarrassment in front of one another. They would also watch drunk people on YouTube to better understand how completely inebriated people would act.{{cite web |last1=Tabart |first1=Malene |title=Thomas Vinterberg om 'Druk' efter tragedien: "Den er gået fra at være en hyldest til alkohol til at være en hyldest til livet" |url=https://soundvenue.com/film/2020/09/thomas-vinterberg-om-druk-efter-tragedien-den-er-gaaet-fra-at-vaere-en-hyldest-til-alkohol-til-at-vaere-en-hyldest-til-livet-421839 |website=Soundvenue |publisher=soundvenue.com |access-date=14 December 2020 |language=da |date=20 September 2020}}
Release
Another Round was set to have its world premiere at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, prior to the festival's cancellation due to government restrictions prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2020/06/cannes-film-festival-2020-lineup-movies-announcement-livestream-1202950103/ |title=Cannes Film Festival Reveals 2020 Lineup: Wes Anderson, Steve McQueen, Kate Winslet & Pixar |work=Deadline |date=3 June 2020 |access-date=4 June 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jun/03/cannes-selects-lineup-for-2020-kate-winslet-wes-anderson-steve-mcqueen |title=Cannes selects lineup for 2020 edition after 'physical' festival shelved |work=The Guardian |date=3 June 2020 |access-date=4 June 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/infos-communiques/communique/articles/the-films-of-the-official-selection-2020 |title=The films of the Official Selection 2020 |work=Cannes |date=3 June 2020 |access-date=5 June 2020}} The film instead had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.{{cite web |url=https://tiff.net/about-tiff-20 |title=TIFF 2020: September 10–19 |work=Toronto International Film Festival |access-date=24 June 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://tiff.net/events/another-round |title=Another Round |website=Toronto International Film Festival | access-date=19 September 2020}} It also screened at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Shell{{cite web |url=https://www.sansebastianfestival.com/2020/sections_and_films/official_selection/7/680933/in |title=Druk/Another Round |website=San Sebastián International Film Festival | access-date=27 September 2020}} and opened Film Fest Gent 2020 in Belgium.{{Cite web |date=24 September 2020 |title=Ghent Film Festival announces full October programme |url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/art-culture/132670/ghent-film-festival-announces-full-october-programme/ |access-date=29 September 2020 |website=The Brussels Times |language=en}}
It was released in Denmark on 24 September 2020, by Nordisk Film.{{cite web |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/buyers-thirsty-for-thomas-vinterbergs-another-round-exclusive/5151093.article |title=Buyers thirsty for Thomas Vinterberg's 'Another Round' (exclusive) |website=Screen International | first=Wendy |last=Mitchell |date=26 June 2020 |access-date=19 September 2020}} In September 2020, Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/samuel-goldwyn-films-takes-another-round-for-u-s |title=Samuel Goldwyn Films Takes 'Another Round' for U.S. |website=The Hollywood Reporter | first=Scott |last=Roxborough |date=9 September 2020 |access-date=19 September 2020}} It was also selected as opening film at the 51st International Film Festival of India.{{Cite news |url=https://www.businessworld.in/article/51st-International-Film-Festival-of-India-in-Goa-from-Jan-16-to-open-with-Vinterberg-s-Another-Round-/02-01-2021-360837 |title=51st International Film Festival of India in Goa from Jan 16, to open with Vinterberg's 'Another Round' |date=2 January 2021 |via=ANI |newspaper=Business World}}
Reception
= Critical response =
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|92|7.9|225|Take one part deftly directed tragicomedy, add a dash of Mads Mikkelsen in vintage form, and you've got Another Round – an intoxicating look at midlife crises.|ref=yes|access-date=12 April 2023}} {{Metacritic film prose|79|34|ref=yes|access-date=12 April 2023}}
In 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition of The New York Times{{'}} list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing at number 243.{{cite web |title=Readers Choose Their Top Movies of the 21st Century |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/movies/readers-movies-21st-century.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=2 July 2025}}
= Accolades =
Remake
An American English-language remake of the film is planned to star Leonardo DiCaprio and to be produced by Appian Way Productions, Endeavor Content, and Makeready.{{cite web |last1=Fleming |first1=Mike Jr. |url=https://deadline.com/2021/04/another-round-remake-leonardo-dicaprio-oscar-winner-best-international-film-appian-way-makeready-endeavor-content-thomas-vinterberg-1234744200/ |title=Oscar Winner 'Another Round' In Remake Deal With Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way, Makeready & Endeavor Content |work=Deadline |date=26 April 2021 |access-date=26 April 2021}} In January 2024, it was reported that Chris Rock was attached to direct the movie, with Stuart Blumberg writing a draft script.{{cite web |last1=Fleming |first1=Mike Jr. |title=Chris Rock To Direct 'Another Round' Remake For Appian Way, Makeready & Fifth Season |url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/chris-rock-directs-another-round-remake-mads-mikkelsen-appian-way-makeready-fifth-season-1235807800/ |website=Deadline |access-date=1 September 2024 |date=29 January 2024}} On the choice of director, Vinterberg jokingly said: "If it's shit, he'll get slapped again."{{cite web |last1=Ritman |first1=Alex |title=Thomas Vinterberg Says Venice's Own Flooding Concerns Made It 'Obvious Choice' for Launch of Climate Change Miniseries 'Families Likes Ours' |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/global/thomas-vinterberg-families-like-ours-miniseries-venice-1236126063/ |website=Variety |access-date=1 September 2024 |date=31 August 2024}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website}}
- {{IMDb title|10288566|Another Round}}
- {{rotten-tomatoes|another_round|Another Round}}
{{Thomas Vinterberg}}
{{Tobias Lindholm}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Another Round
| list =
{{Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film}}
{{BAFTA Best Foreign Language Film}}
{{Bodil Award for Best Danish Film}}
{{César Award for Best Foreign Film}}
{{Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}
{{European Film Award for Best Film}}
{{Goya Award for Best European Film}}
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Foreign Language Film of the Year}}
{{London Film Festival Award for Best Film}}
{{Robert Award for Best Danish Film}}
{{San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}
{{Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}
}}
{{Danish submission for Academy Awards}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Another Round}}
Category:2020 comedy-drama films
Category:2020s Danish-language films
Category:2020s high school films
Category:Best Danish Film Bodil Award winners
Category:Best Danish Film Robert Award winners
Category:Best Foreign Film César Award winners
Category:Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners
Category:Danish black comedy films
Category:Danish comedy-drama films
Category:Danish independent films
Category:Dutch black comedy films
Category:Dutch comedy-drama films
Category:Dutch independent films
Category:European Film Awards winners (films)
Category:Films about alcoholic drinks
Category:Films about alcoholism
Category:Films about educators
Category:Films directed by Thomas Vinterberg
Category:Films set in Copenhagen
Category:Films shot in Copenhagen
Category:Films with screenplays by Tobias Lindholm
Category:Samuel Goldwyn Films films
Category:Swedish black comedy films
Category:Swedish comedy-drama films