No. 14 (2021) ANOTHER ROUND (DRUK) February 12th.

 

Film No. 14 (2021)  Feb. 12th.  5:45 PM  PALACE Premium Cinema 3,  Raine Square,  Perth City. 

"Maybe going a bit higher .... Let's change gears." (Martin makes the suggestion. They have improved in areas of life at the .05% level, why not take their alcohol blood levels higher!).

This is a dark film about alcohol and its influence on people, with not a cliche in sight. Another Round is being advertised as being much lighter than it is and of possessing a comedic tone. I'm not sure why, and although it has black comic moments, Druk is serious, dark theatre. 

Director Vinterberg (The Hunt) talks of taking the seed of an idea for Druk from a play depicting four women experimenting with alcohol as a stimulant for making life better both professionally and domestically. According to Norwegian psychiatrist Finn Skarderud the adult being, functions better with 0.05% in the blood. It's a bloody good premise for a film when you think about it, so did Vinterberg succeed in his interpretation? Yes, no doubt in my view.

Mads Mikkelsen's Martin is our central focus in AR. He is a failing teacher and husband. He's become a bore to both his students and his wife Anika (Maria Bonnevie). 

He has teacher mates Nikolaj (Magnus Milang), Peter (Lars Ranthe) and Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen), all are looking for an invigoration of their dulling lives. The Skarderud theory might be worth testing. So they do. But don't get mislead by the upbeat trailer, Druk is definitely something different. Something better, in my view.

For Australian me, an ex-teacher, living in a country with alcohol issues not dissimilar to those exemplified by Vinterberg of Denmark, the film made relevant comment on many levels. The formalities of the young (graduates), entering adulthood, consuming alcohol to excess, top and tail Druk. Could Vinterberg be asking a question of his country's acceptance of such a tradition. Maybe, but one thing is certain, with 800k tickets sold alone in Denmark, so far, the film is popular. Druk is going to be discussed at length by the natives of Denmark.  11GUMS.