Can a constant 0.05% blood alcohol level actually make you a better teacher?
In short: Four bored high school teachers in Copenhagen test a psychiatrist's theory that humans are born with a 0.05% blood alcohol deficiency. They believe maintaining this level will boost creativity and confidence. What begins as a controlled experiment in professional rejuvenation quickly spirals into a complex exploration of life and loss.
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg and co-written with Tobias Lindholm, the 2020 film Another Round follows colleagues Martin, Tommy, Peter, and Nikolaj. Feeling stale and unmotivated, they adopt a strict regimen: maintain a 0.05% blood alcohol content (BAC) during school hours, avoiding weekends and evenings. Initially, the results are transformative. Martin, previously alienated from his family and students, finds his teaching style revitalized and his personal relationships mending. The experiment seems to validate the theory attributed to psychiatrist Finn Skårderud, suggesting that a slight, constant buzz is the key to a more relaxed and inspired existence.
The narrative shifts as the group pushes their boundaries, raising their BAC target to 0.10% and eventually experimenting with total inebriation. This escalation leads to personal crises, including the dissolution of Martin’s marriage and the tragic death of Tommy, who drowns after a period of heavy drinking. The film, which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, was originally conceived as a celebration of alcohol’s role in history. However, the production was profoundly altered by the death of Vinterberg’s daughter, Ida, four days into filming. The script evolved from a simple story about drinking into a life-affirming meditation on what it means to be truly awake.
The film’s production involved its own unique methods; Vinterberg and his lead actors, including Mads Mikkelsen, met to drink together to shed their inhibitions and studied footage of intoxicated people to inform their performances. The finished work, dedicated to Ida, captures the duality of its subject matter—the liberation of the drink and the devastating cost of excess. It remains a critical success, holding a 93% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and is currently slated for an American remake directed by Chris Rock and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Another Round
- Also: Wikidata — Another Round · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Another Round · CC0
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