By Thomas Vinterberg reteams with his star of The Hunt, Mads Mikkelsen, for a tale about middle age and drinking, and all the high and lows that come with pouring libations.
We all have our own relationship with alcohol. We may like one or two (maybe four) drinks here and there with our friends, some of us may not touch the stuff at all. No matter our individual preferences, drinking is a large part of a number of cultures, permeating the social lives of anyone from an 18-year-old student to a 60 year old academic. The country at the focus here is Denmark, the Scandanavian country that drinks the most, and from the perspective of Mikkelsen’s history teacher and four colleagues, we explore the confidence and revelry a good stiff drink can provide, as well as the devastating effects the loss of control that a drunken stupor can bring with it.
Mikkelsen plays Martin, a teacher who feels he has lost his touch, not only in his career but in his marriage. Keen to try something to get his engine firing again, he and three other friends and fellow faculty members begin to embark on an experiment to see if areas of their life can be improved by maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their bloodstream. With early successful results, the four friends become more keen to push their limits, throwing light on the issues in their life that having a drink simply cannot solve.
Full review over at THN, originally published October 15th 2020.
Andrew Gaudion 