Keswick Film Club - Another Round

Synopsis

We spotted this one some time ago, before it won the Oscars, and couldn't resist it, especially as it stars Mads Mikkelsen.

Four teachers decide to put a philosopher's theory to the test: human's natural blood sugar level is 0.5% too low, so why don’t they try keeping it higher by drinking all the time?

"Another Round is a celebration and a lament of alcohol's foundational role in society, serving as both liberator and imprisoner. At first, they declare the experiment a rousing success, despite the indisputably terrible strategy of sneaking bottles of booze into work. Whisky is stuffed into supply closets. Vodka is covertly sipped in toilet cubicles. Martin (Mads Mikkelsen), especially, seems invigorated by some romantic notion that alcohol is the pathway to genius – Hemingway and Roosevelt were prolific drinkers, he tells his students. Booze, it seems, has made him a more inspiring teacher, and a better lover to his wife Anika" - Clarisse Loughrey, Independent.

Starring the wonderful Mads Mikkelsen and directed by Thomas Vinterberg (who brought us 'Festen' and 'The Hunt') this comic but thought-provoking drama won the Oscar for the Best International Film and many other awards around the world, both for direction and acting. The quest for hedonism is brought hilariously to the fore, whilst reminding us that it can never really be achieved. Cheers to the attempt!