"What is youth? A dream. What is love? The content of the dream."

Another Round is a film I've been excited to watch for a long time and seeing it on the big screen is worth the time! Personally, I prefer The Hunt (also directed by Thomas Vinterburg and starring Mads Mikkelsen) since I found that to be more emotionally impactful, but Another Round definitely delivers. The first act does a brilliant job establishing its four main characters, letting us learn about their lives and making us care about them. Because of Vinterburg's emphasis on building character, the dialogue is captivating and there's never a boring scene so that when these characters begin an experiment to test psychiatrist Finn Skårderud's theory (a blood alcohol content of 0.05 will make you more creative and relaxed), it's engaging to see how the story unfolds.

Vinterberg and co-writer Tobias Lindholm are clever with how they handle their themes. Another Round isn't just a film that focuses on alcoholism, but rather on midlife crises. It's honest about the mindnumbing mundanities of life and through the character arcs, Another Round shows that their constant drinking seems to solve most of their issues, yet it also creates new problems in the process, which get bigger, and it's equally hilarious and uncomfortable to watch. It ultimately leads to tragedy and the emotions never feel sappy. Having said that, I felt Another Round needed to develop its emotional impacts more and especially the consequences these characters face. But despite this, Another Round doesn't romanticise or condemn drinking and it instead shows how joyful life can be, leading to one of the most satisfying endings I've seen in a film. The payoff feels truly earned and I left the cinema feeling optimistic.

In terms of other aspects, I didn't find Another Round to be too unique, but I did admire how realistically shot and well-lit Sturla Brandth Grøvlen's cinematography is, the music choices felt fitting in particular scenes and the editing maintains the film's strong slow burn to keep you interested. But the performances are what especially made this film for me. Mads Mikkelsen delivers one of the best and emotionally honest performances of 2020 and I will be infuriated if he does not get an Oscar nomination this year. Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe and Magnus Millang are equally strong and I believed the chemistry these four actors have. They have realistic dialogue and they feel like actual friends, which enriched the viewing experience, and the rest of the cast is also remarkable. Flawless performances overall. Thomas Vinterberg once again delivers with his direction, which also feels personal and adds another degree of richness to Another Round. It's such a compelling and thoughtful watch that I can't help but have a blast and I'm pleased to have seen it at a cinema! Recommended viewing.

Plot and Characters (7/10)
Presentation and Direction (9/10)
Acting (10/10)
Script (8/10)
Setting/Locations (8/10)
Tone (8/10)
Cinematography/Visuals (9/10)
Sound/Music (9/10)
Editing (8/10)
Pacing/Length (8/10)

Score: 84/100.

LIKES:
+Strong performances and chemistry between lead actors (especially Mads!)
+Vinterburg's captivating, personal direction
+Entertaining, honest script
+Builds great character depth and slow burn
+Good tonal balances between comedy and tragedy
+Wonderfully realistic cinematography, fitting music choices

DISLIKES:
-Some character consequences feel underdeveloped
-Emotional impacts feel slightly weak

Edit: of course Mads Mikkelsen didn’t get nominated by Oscars because... Oscars. PAIN