TIFF 2020: Another Round
tiff 2020Selected for the now-cancelled Cannes 2020 Film Festival and now premiering at the 45th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, Another Round (or Durk, as it’s known in its native language) marks Mads Mikkelsen and Thomas Vineterberg’s second foreign-language collaboration after 2012’s The Hunt. Starring Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, and Magnus Milang, the film tells the story of a group of four friends who are beginning to lose their passion for what they hold dear to them. Looking to get out of their respective ruts, they soon begin to experiment with their levels of alcohol consumption to interesting results.
While Another Round is not quite as gripping as Vinterbergs other recent work, it is one that is packed with narrative and thematic twists that keep one hooked throughout the film. What begins as a seemingly irresponsible all-worshipping ode to the mass consumption of alcohol soon turns into a much more well-rounded critique of the extent to which many use it to drown their sorrows and other personal problems. Ultimately, the screenplay ensures that the film has enough depth to become an incredibly nuanced and multi-faceted portrait of its subject. It attempts to show both the positives and the negatives of the act of drinking alcohol with little-to-no-bias.
Yet, while that may sound as if it risks falling into the trap of becoming a film that is too clinical or analytical, any fears of it becoming so are quelled by Thomas Vinterbergs uniquely Scandinavian direction. Now, the film is wrought with pacing issues in its first half with more than a few starts and stops along the way, and it would have admittedly benefitted from a more ambitious visual standpoint, but none of those issues are able to distract from the superb editing and Vinterberg’s signature mark. In true Danish spirit, Vinterberg is one of the few directors working in the industry today who have been able to crack the stigma against wild tonal and genre shifts. Displaying that skill at its full force here, he effortlessly balances the tone under his steady hand as it swings from buddy comedy to relationship drama to character study and much more in a matter of seconds.
However, those shifts would not have been believable in the slightest if not for the performances from all involved. Magnus Milang and Lars Ranthe do a stellar job as two-fourths of the group of friends, but they take a backseat to the even greater performances from Thomas Bo Larsen and Mads Mikkelsen. While Larsen’s character goes through a true rollercoaster of emotions in the latter half of the film, providing him with a meaty supporting role, it is Mads Mikkelsen and Maria Bonnevie (who plays his wife, Trine), who are at the heart of the film. The evolution of their relationship is one that will resonate with many; Mikkelsen and Bonnevie play off one another in the scenes they inhabit together. Even when Mikkelsen is alone, the way he shifts from being a demotivated drone to newly confident to then becoming a self-destructive alcoholic gives him the ability to take advantage of his stunning tragicomic range and leaves the film with a performance for the ages.
Another Round may be a bit too slow and disappointing for audiences who are expecting an outing closer to The Hunt than anything else, but once they move past their pre-determined expectations, they will be able to see it for what it strives to be: a thematically wild but narratively refined tragicomic tale. Overall, Another Round showcases the fact that any time you attempt to pair the tonal mastery of Thomas Vinterberg’s direction with the impressive performance skills of Mads Mikkelsen, they are bound to strike cinematic gold.