Around Round
Naturally this gives each man a boost, until they start to pursue the idea to its very extremes . . .
Thomas Vinterberg’s film takes you on a journey that’s both funny and dark but ends up somewhere else entirely. The writer Tobias Lindholm and the perfect cast breathe life & texture into this concept, creating a world that moves between comedy and melancholy. An American remake is on the cards with Leonardo DiCaprio.
Originally entitled Druk (a more fitting title) in its native Denmark . . . the film reunites Vinterberg, Lindholm and Mikkelsen after 2012’s The Hunt, which is well worth seeking out – and is currently available on Amazon Prime. Mikkelsen plays school history teacher Martin, whose work and home life have hit rock bottom. Meeting with colleagues at a birthday dinner, they hatch a plan inspired by a Norwegian psychologist Finn Skårderud’s controversial thesis that most people go through life with a lack of alcohol in their bloodstream. The four decide to stay low-level drunk all day, monitoring and recording the outcomes.
In the first half, it playfully uses montages of drunk world leaders to set the tone, with fun and humour. The supermarket scene is particularly funny. Tommy smuggles booze onto a football pitch; Peter leads his pupils in singsongs whilst secreting swigging alcohol; and Martin revitalises his life as his wife & kids start suddenly paying him more. “I haven’t felt this good in ages,” he tells his friends, so the group decide to increase their daily alcohol intake. Big mistake.
With all of this, there are consequences . . . their marriages and lives start to suffer as the addictions grow in this grown-up tale of the dangers of drinking. It’s rich, funny and very tragic . . .
The film is still doing the rounds at some cinemas and will be available soon on DVD/Blu ray & some streaming services.
