May 19, 20215 min read

Another Round: A Life enjoyed to the Fullest

Updated: Feb 1, 2023

Reviews by:

@the_owlseyes
@foxredfilmreviews

RATE THIS MOVIE

It's rough to enjoy this life. Most of our time is used to work and, generally, do things which prompt a humdrum living. Not only it happens with the things we are forced to do but also with what we like, call it passions, interests and such. We tend to lose stimulants because we are not sure why we're doing something and what's the end of it. And then everything collapse. We break up relationships, we procrastinate till we're not able to do what we're supposed to do and we begin to lose what used to make us happy. We stop living our life, adrift in the ocean of time, waiting to die and put an end to our suffering. Or we could change our life, grow and evolve into something else, something more powerful and lively. There're multiple means to do it but it all start by doing something different and taking a leap of faith. We deserve happiness, at all costs.

PLOT

"Four high school teachers consume alcohol on a daily basis to see how it affects their social and professional lives" or "Drink till you drop".

SCRIPT

The movie is marvelllusly written. The protagonist has a wonderful arch and a good characterization. You get invested in him, in his life and his friends. The movie has a bonkers premise, at first, but it goes beyond that. It explores the central role of friendship, the hardship of love, the burden of teaching and the necessity to express ourselves in a blank world. Every side character is defined in depth, without leaving anything to the case, and every thread come to a well deserved resolution, which gives a sense of closure to the protagonist, his friends and family. It's a beautiful script with one flaw: the ending is forseeable. Overall is a strong, emotional work of art which deal with interesting ideas and concepts. Also, I've noticed a subtle nod to American Psycho when the fun bunch is having dinner at a fancy restaurant, during the first act and the last one.

Script: 9/10

ACTING

Mads Mikkelsen owns this movie and the other actors improve his acting by bringing more emotions, comedy and tenderness. The acting starts a bit shy but it growns on you by bringing you closer and closer to the characters. The spectrum of emotions shown by the actors is quite a thing: the ability to make the transitions between dramatic and comedic scenes is fantastic. You'll chuckle and smile a lot but you'll also feel for the people who are portrayed here.

Acting: 8/10

PHOTOGRAPHY

Light is used in a competent way, by giving it a sort of dynamicity, to set up the emotions and the tone of certai scenes. Chromatic symbolism isn't used but the scenes are good looking and the light isn't flat. Anyway it isn't enough to say that it experiments with it and does something original with its photography.

Photography: 6/10

EDITING

To amp up the importance of some scenes, a shaky camera and the light blurring of some frame are employed to convey a sense of confusion and intoxication. The camera isn't dynamic but there's a high number of cuts sometimes to make the movie less static. I find it interesting the fact that the movie know when to have a section with less cuts and one shots which give more gravity to a situation or a character condition. Because it changes gears when a scene is more comedic.

Editing: 7/10

SPECIAL EFFECTS

This movie is free of them, which is a blessing. A motion picture like this one is made more by the performances and the concepts explored rather than cheap visual effects.

Special Effects: 6/10

SOUNDTRACK

The music is used sparely and it used to set the tone of a scene or to amplify a certain emotions. Every track has a reason and the lyrics of some songs are heavily connected to the movie., especially the last one. Maybe it doesn't take risks by using music where is unexpected but the score does exactly what is meant for.

Soundtrack: 8/10

COSTUMES

The clothes are coherent with the movie setting and tone. It was hard to do fail at it. Nothing more to say about it because these are normal costumes for ordinary people. I liked that a bit of Danish culture permeate from them and the ending scene is the best, and only, example in the movie.

Costumes: 6/10

CONCLUSION

Script: 9/10

Acting: 8/10

Photography: 6/10

Editing: 7/10

Special Effects: 6/10

Soundtrack: 8/10

Costumes: 6/10

AVERAGE: 7,14

It's a very good movie which have a funny premise but an almost flawless execution. It manages to deal with interesting themes which concern social life, school and work. It could appeal to a wide audience because it touches issues which are recurrent in everyone's life. This movie isn't only carried by it's ingenious script but also by fantastic acting and an original soundtrack. If you want to have a catartic experience this is the best movie for you because it makes you fell and think about your life as a whole.

By @the_owlseyes

RATE THIS REVIEW

You know those movies where you're watching it and you're just having a great time? No specific reason, no complex psychological crap, you're just enjoying the moment? That's Another Round.

The plot follows four middle-aged men in Denmark, all of whom are becoming depressed with mundane day-to-day life. They conclude that alcohol is the solution and this begin daytime drinking. That's the plot pretty much. It's better than it sounds, I enjoyed it a lot. My favourite aspect of the whole film was the unique balance it found within its story. We have seen hundreds of films in the past which depict the negative effects of alcohol, but hardly any depicting the positive effects. Another Round manages to find the balance between the two and portrays it quite elegantly. As a moderate drinker myself, I found enjoyment in the happier moments of the characters being intoxicated, whilst being warned of what could happen to relationships if things turn sour. Both separate depictions of alcoholism are portrayed terrifically through seamless editing and admirable performances from a very talented cast.

One aspect which confuses me about Another Round is the age rating it was given. In the UK it was given a 12, which I find extremely confusing given the subject matter. I don't often feel as though films could benefit from a higher age restriction but I do feel that about Another Round. A 15 rating could have provided a more brutal and prolonged depiction of the negative effects of alcohol which the film could have benefited from in my opinion.

Overall, I had a great time with this film. While the age restriction was too low in my opinion, there really isn't much else to criticize. Mads and the rest of the cast are wonderful, the cinematography and editing are great, and the ending was one of my favourites from any film of the last couple of years. It gives us a rare look at the joys of alcohol while still providing a satisfying view of its dangers. I will most-likely be revisiting this one in the future.

By @foxredfilmreviews

RATE THIS REVIEW