Another Round

This article is about the film. For other uses, see Another Round (disambiguation).

Another Round
File:Another Round (film).jpg Danish theatrical release poster
Directed by	Thomas Vinterberg
Produced by	Sisse Graum Jørgensen Kasper Dissing
Screenplay by	Thomas Vinterberg Tobias Lindholm
Starring	Mads Mikkelsen Thomas Bo Larsen Magnus Millang Lars Ranthe
Cinematography	Sturla Brandth Grøvlen
Edited by	Anne Østerud Janus Billeskov Jansen
Production company	Zentropa Entertainments Film i Väst Zentropa Sweden Topkapi Films Zentropa Netherlands
Distributed by	Nordisk Film Distribution (Denmark)
Release dates	12 September 2020 (2020-09-12) (TIFF) 24 September 2020 (2020-09-24) (Denmark)
Running time	116 minutes
Country	Denmark Sweden Netherlands
Language	Danish
Budget	kr33.5 million (€4.5 million)
Box office	$21.7 million

Another Round () is a 2020 black comedy-drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg, from a screenplay by Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm. An international co-production between Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands, the film stars Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, and Lars Ranthe. It follows four high school teachers who embark on an experiment to maintain a constant level of intoxication throughout the workday.

The film had its world premiere at the 45th Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September 2020, and was theatrically released in Denmark on 24 September 2020, by Nordisk Film Distribution. At the 93rd Academy Awards, it won Best International Feature Film and Vinterberg was nominated for Best Director. It also won four European Film Awards, including Best Film, and earned four BAFTA Award nominations, winning for Best Film Not in the English Language.

Plot

Teachers Martin, Tommy, Peter, and Nikolaj are colleagues and friends that 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 them passing their history exams. At a dinner celebrating Nikolaj's 40th birthday, the group begins to discuss 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 being at 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 of what occurs when they start drinking at regular intervals to maintain this blood alcohol level. Two of the friends have personal challenges that also make this experiment attractive: Martin is depressed and alienated from his family and students, and Nikolaj's wife seems to have contempt for him. They agree to a set of rules: their BAC should never be below 0.05 during the day on weekdays and they should not drink after 8:00pm or on the weekends. Each man has his own way of sneaking drinks of 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 of time, all four members of the group find both their work and private lives more enjoyable and successful. Martin, in particular, is delighted as he finally manages to reconnect with his wife and children. His teaching of history becomes inspired, and his students begin enjoying class and respecting him. He teaches history through the lens of drinking alcohol, connecting with heavy-drinking students. Agreeing that the experiment should be taken further, the group increases the BAC minimum to 0.10. Still finding their lives improved, one night they decide to drink to oblivion to test the liberating effects, but after coming home incapacitated, both Martin and Nikolaj are confronted by their families. Martin's family express their worries, revealing that they knew he has been drinking for weeks. He and his wife express how each has drawn away from the other, and she admits to infidelity. The group abandons the experiment. Martin and his wife have split up, and while he tries to make amends, she rejects him.

All the members of the group have stopped drinking during the day with the exception of Tommy, whom the others try to take care of. But at a faculty meeting where the headmaster reveals that teachers have been drinking at work, Tommy arrives obviously reeling drunk. Later, Tommy boards his boat drunk with his old dog, motors out on the bay, and later goes overboard, drowning at sea.

The three remaining members of the group go out to dinner after Tommy's funeral to celebrate him, and enjoy sparkling wine. While dining, Martin texts his wife that he misses her, and she replies that she misses him too. The recently graduated students pass by in their customary drunken graduation celebrations, and Martin, Peter and Nikolaj join them in celebrating and drinking at the harbour. Martin, a former jazz ballet dancer, dances with the rest of the partygoers, which he had refused up to this point despite his colleagues' urging. His dance becomes increasingly energetic and joyous before he jumps 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. Additional inspiration came from Vinterberg's own daughter, Ida, who had told stories of the drinking culture within the Danish youth. 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.

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. The film instead had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It also screened at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Shell and opened Film Fest Gent 2020 in Belgium.

It was released in Denmark on 24 September 2020, by Nordisk Film. In September 2020, Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. It was also selected as opening film at the 51st International Film Festival of India.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 225 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "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." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref
Academy Awards	25 April 2021	Best International Feature Film	Denmark	Won
		Best Director	Thomas Vinterberg	Nominated
Adelaide Film Festival	25 October 2020	Feature Fiction Award	Another Round	Nominated
Alliance of Women Film Journalists	4 January 2021	Best Non-English-Language Film	Another Round	Won
BFI London Film Festival	18 October 2020	Best Film	Another Round	Won
Bodil Awards	8 May 2021	Best Danish Film	Another Round	Won
		Best Actor in a Leading Role	Mads Mikkelsen	Won
		Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Lars Ranthe	Nominated
			Magnus Millang	Nominated
			Thomas Bo Larsen	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Thomas Vinterberg, Tobias Lindholm	Won
British Academy Film Awards	11 April 2021	Best Film Not in the English Language	Thomas Vinterberg, Sisse Graum Jørgensen	Won
		Best Direction	Thomas Vinterberg	Nominated
		Best Actor in a Leading Role	Mads Mikkelsen	Nominated
		Best Original Screenplay	Tobias Lindholm and Thomas Vinterberg	Nominated
César Awards	12 March 2021	Best Foreign Film	Another Round	Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	21 December 2020	Best Foreign Language Film	Another Round	Won
Critics' Choice Movie Awards	7 March 2021	Best Foreign Language Film	Another Round	Nominated
European Film Awards	12 December 2020	Best Film	Another Round	Won
		Best Director	Thomas Vinterberg	Won
		Best Screenwriter	Thomas Vinterberg, Tobias Lindholm	Won
		Best Actor	Mads Mikkelsen	Won
		University Award		Nominated
Film Fest Gent	24 October 2020	Canvas Audience Award	Another Round	Won
Gaudí Awards	6 March 2022	Best European Film	Another Round	Won
Golden Globe Awards	28 February 2021	Best Foreign Language Film	Another Round	Nominated
Goya Awards	12 February 2022	Best European Film	Another Round	Won
Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro	10 August 2022	Best International Film	Another Round	Nominated
Houston Film Critics Society	18 January 2021	Best Film in a Foreign Language	Another Round	Nominated
IndieWire Critics Poll	14 December 2020	Best International Film	Another Round	3rd place
		Best Performance	Mads Mikkelsen	10th place
London Film Critics' Circle	7 February 2021	Foreign Language Film of the Year	Another Round	Won
LUX Prize	9 June 2021	LUX Audience Award	Another Round	Nominated
Online Film Critics Society	25 January 2021	Best Film Not in the English Language	Another Round	Nominated
Robert Awards	6 February 2021	Best Danish Film	Thomas Vinterberg	Won
		Best Director	Thomas Vinterberg	Won
		Best Original Screenplay	Thomas Vinterberg, Tobias Lindholm	Won
		Best Cinematography	Sturla Brandth Grøvlen	Nominated
		Best Editing	Anne Østerud, Janus Billeskov Jansen	Won
		Best Actor	Mads Mikkelsen	Won
		Best Supporting Actor	Lars Ranthe	Nominated
			Magnus Millang	Nominated
			Thomas Bo Larsen	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Maria Bonnevie	Nominated
		Best Production Design	Sabine Hviid	Nominated
		Best Sound	Jan Schermer, Hans Møller	Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society	11 January 2021	Best International Film	Another Round	Nominated
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle	18 January 2021	Best Foreign Language Film	Another Round	Won
San Sebastián International Film Festival	26 September 2020	Silver Shell for Best Actor	Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe	Won
		Premio Feroz Zinemaldia	Another Round	Won
		SIGNIS Award	Thomas Vinterberg	Won
		Silver Shell for Best Director	Thomas Vinterberg	Nominated
		Golden Shell	Thomas Vinterberg	Nominated
St. Louis Film Critics Association	17 January 2021	Best Foreign Film	Another Round	Won

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. In January 2024, it was reported that Chris Rock was attached to direct the movie, with Stuart Blumberg writing a draft script. On the choice of director, Vinterberg jokingly said: "If it’s shit, he’ll get slapped again."

See also

• List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
• List of Danish submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

External links

• Another Round at IMDb
• Another Round at Rotten Tomatoes