Original Title: Druk
Year of Release: 2020
Genres: Drama
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Writer: Tobias Lindholm
Main Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Maria Bonnevie, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Susse Wold, Lars Ranthe

One of my big cinematic shames is that I adored The Hunt when I first saw it in 2013, yet it took me over 7 years to see another film by Thomas Vinterberg! Bless an effective VPN and the Vancouver International Film Festival for making it possible to watch Another Round.

As someone who isn't too big on standard dramas, it always makes me really happy to watch one that I thoroughly enjoy from beginning to end. Having just come off (almost) an entire year abroad in a student residence, Another Round made me relive the highs and lows of what heavy drinking can do to you. It especially became very easy to empathize with all the characters, especially Mads', where at first light drinking really does give you a confidence and emotional boost. The first times you drink, the feeling is so new that it makes you feel absolutely great!

The worst part comes when the drinking continues, and while I have always controlled how much I drink, there was one time where it was just too much, and the low that you feel the morning after is absolutely painful. Even worse was witnessing other people slowly turn into alcoholics, where drinking always had to be involved one way or another, and what started off as something fun, slowly became devastating and dangerous. This is why Another Round really affected me, as it brilliantly captures what it feels like to both enjoy and loathe drinking, where the main takeaway really is to just be responsible, but it's unfortunately not something that many people can achieve.

Vinterberg uses his trademark unintrusive camerawork to ground the story and its characters, leaving a lot of the heavy lifting on the main performances. I don't know how much the four main actors really drank, and I don't know how well they get on together off-screen, but damn if the chemistry isn't incredible here! From the first scene together, you feel their history and their friendship, and their interactions throughout the movie are great fun, and it's lovely how they stick together when things get more serious. They all get their moment to shine, but Mikkelsen, as the lead, shows once again just how much range and nuance he has (and the man sure can dance!)

Another Round is something I watched almost on a whim, and I am incredibly happy to say that I really loved it. A perfect balance of drama and comedy, believable and moving, with terrific performances and one of the best portrayals of drinking I have seen in a long time.

Story: 8
Directing: 9
Cinematography: 8.5
Acting: 9
Sound: 8.5
Visual Effects: 8.5

ENJOYMENT: 9
BORINGNESS: 2

PARENTAL GUIDANCE
Violence & Gore: 4
Sex & Nudity: 4.5
Drugs & Profanity: 5
Intensity & Horror: 3.5

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