'Another Round (2020)' is a Danish film about four middle-aged teachers who, discontent with their stagnant lives, decide to experiment with maintaining a constant level of alcohol (0.05%) in their blood at all times. What starts out as intoxicating soon becomes dangerous, as their purely scientific trial threatens to devolve into all-out alcoholism. The different men handle their booze in different ways, though they all inevitably fly too close to the sun at one point or another. I've seen some accusations that the film condones substance abuse, but I don't think that's the case. Though it doesn't have an overt anti-alcohol message, it makes sure to show both the good and the bad of its focal fluid and ultimately advocates for moderation above all else. Plus, its teenage characters are supposed to be either seventeen or eighteen and the legal age for buying alcohol in Denmark is sixteen. Though I don't think it's a good idea for children to consume what's, essentially, poison, I think this flick is just honest to the society in which its characters and filmmakers live. Basically, this aspect is more of a societal and cultural issue than one specific to this feature. The film isn't a clear-cut morality tale, rather a relatively realistic examination of human emotion in all its imperfect glory. It depicts happiness, sadness, complacency, resentment, enjoyment and anxiety; it runs the gamut of emotion, both in what it depicts and it what it elicits, to craft an unbiased portrait of its subjects that resonates on a surprisingly deep level. Its bittersweet final scene, which mixes melancholy with jubilation in a bizarrely touching way, is a microcosm of its overall nuance. The movie is a touch slow in its second act, but it's typically an entertaining and engaging experience. Its performances are remarkable, too. It's as often funny as it is heartbreaking. Generally, it feels like a grounded and honest experience that manages to be life-affirming without being close to saccharine. It isn't happy, so to speak, just truthful. Truth can be beautiful. 7/10.
