by Ole Ho Christiansen
As we get closer to the finale of ‘awards season’, the Academy Awards, the Danish film Another Round has continued to bring home awards. Most recently, the film won Best Film Not in the English Language at the BAFTAs.
Another Round stars Mads Mikkelsen as the lead. The story revolves around a group of four high school teachers that have grown tired of their daily routines. They decide to test out a theory that their lives will improve if they maintain a constant level of alcohol in their blood.
August Bybjerg Villensteen, Danish film critic at Nosferatu, said: “In ‘Another Round’ Thomas Vinterberg nuances alcohol culture by portraying the Danish drinking culture, along with the good and the bad effects of alcohol.”
At the Oscars, Another Round has been nominated for Best International Feature Film and the director, Thomas Vinterberg, has been nominated for Best Achievement in Directing. Along with the BAFTA, the film has won awards at the European Film Awards, Göteborg Film Festival and London Film Festival.
“Even though it uses many connections to Denmark, notably with the national anthem playing an important role, Vinterberg manages to encompass a wide variety of reactions to alcohol through the four main characters,” says August Bybjerg Villensteen.
“This, I believe, plays a huge part in why the film holds appeal to the rest of the world where drinking culture might not play as big a role as it does here at home.”
Lewis Knight, film critic at the Daily Mirror, said: “I think Another Round has an international appeal due to the sheer magnetism of Mads Mikkelsen but also its expert handling of pathos and physical comedy. There’s also a universality to stories of people struggling with mid-life crises and a fascination with fading masculinity and the effects of ageing. Plus who doesn’t love an unexpected dance sequence?”
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