Alcoholism in the name of science … well that’s a new one. And yet, I’m surprised not to have seen it before, ya know? I mean, other than it sounds ridiculous and would never get you out of a DWI, there are still millions of Americans alone who are quite clearly willing to believe any bit of nonsense so long as it supports their pre-existing condition of assholery. If there were a genuine – or, better yet, an imagined– connection between alcoholism and “owning the libs,” every.single.MAGA fool would be three sheets to the wind as soon as they finished reposting a lie. So, sure, let’s run with this asinine Danish premise and see where it goes.
Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) is not enjoying life. Mid-life crisis? Maybe. He seems removed from his wife and children even while they all live in the same house. He teaches high school history; he’s the guy the kids hope they don’t get; his lectures are boring and he’s a tough grader. In one key scene early on, Martin is summoned by his students flanked by their parents to do something about his grading. It amounts to an intervention of sorts.
While celebrating a birthday, Martin and his besties, fellow teachers Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen), Nikolaj (Magnus Millang), and Peter (Lars Ranthe) treat themselves to a fancy night out. During the alcohol sampling portion of their meal, the morose Martin stops sipping and starts chugging. His BFF notice. They return to a conversation about Norwegian psychiatrist Finn Skårderud, a man who postulated that humans ought to have a blood alcohol level of 0.05. Of course, this is the metric system so I’m not sure whether that’s “two-martini lunch” or my great aunt every evening. (Sources say 0.08 is legally intoxicated, so somewhere in the “get ready for dad jokes” region.)
Not waiting for a cue, Martin decides, “hey, why not?” and starts bringing alcohol to work and drinking in the bathroom before class. What’s the harm, anyway? And when he lets his buds in on the Skårderud plan, they’re all, “Well, why didn’t you tell us? We’re totally in.”
You probably won’t believe this, but even European high schools frown on teachers drinking before and during work hours.
I know, right? Insane! This is some kind of communist bullshit, I tell you. You just know Americans wouldn’t put up with that shit. Quite seriously, if President Joe Biden made an announcement tomorrow that “no teacher should ever be intoxicated while on the job,” you just know the idiot backlash would be so fierce that alcohol-abuse in red states would triple overnight and Fox News would suddenly insist that American freedom was at stake; teachers in Alabama would suddenly have a right – nay, a DUTY- to show up hammered before teaching kids pre-Algebra.
But I digress. The film isn’t actually about the legality so much as the effect Buzzed Lightbeer and his pals have on their personal worlds. The results are both predictable and not, and strangely leave room for the thesis that this wasn’t an absolute trainwreck of an idea.
Another Round (“Druk” – I fear the culture in which binge drinking is a one-syllable four-letter word) is challenging if only occasionally entertaining. We are asked to empathize with four men who have chosen to teach not-yet-adults while not-entirely-sober. And the nurture v nature argument arises – while having a gay teacher doesn’t make you gay, could having an alcoholic teacher make you an alcoholic? I’m not sure, but I think there’s an argument there. This film is getting Oscar buzz – to coin a phrase- for best foreign film AND best director (Thomas Vinterberg). I’m not prepared to give Another Round another round, but I grant you, this film is better and certainly more considered than most.
My dearest old chap, I must say
There are *hic* benefits to drinking all day
Your acuities in greather focuth
Sssssomething something hocuth pocuth
Lah de dah dribble hbdewfbreifbrelbv -ay
Not Rated, 117 Minutes
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Writer: Thomas Vinterberg
Genre: Science! (yeah, right)
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Middle-aged men
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Their enablers
