WHAT A LIFE

Another Round (or Druk in it’s native Danish, which translates to Binge Drinking) is a film we will undoubtedly come to in our Above the One Inch Barrier feature, but for now I want to focus on its final scene, and the song What a Life by Scarlet Pleasure.

As we are discussing the films final scene there are spoilers ahead. If you don’t want that perhaps watch the film first, before revisiting this article.

Also, as a trigger warning, there will be talk of self harm, so if you would rather not read that then maybe check out some of the other articles on the site

What a Life was written for Another Round before featuring on Scarlet Pleasures 2020 album Garden, and is a joyous, anti-facist pop song.

This joy is something which may initially seem at odds with the rest of the film.

Another Round follows four school teachers who, after reading Finn Skårderud’s theory that humans are more creative and relaxed if they constantly have a blood alcohol level of 0.05, decide to test it themselves.

As the movie - and their drinking - escalates, things begin to get progressively worse for our protagonists, culminating in the tragic suicide by drowning of Thomas Bo Larsens Tommy.

This brings us towards our final scene where the remaining three friends get together to celebrate Tommy’s life. Despite the fact that they are still drinking their lives appear to be coming back together and, after seeing their former pupils celebrating their graduation, rush out into the street to join them.

As What a Life kicks in Martin - played by Mads Mikkelsen - somewhat reluctantly begins to dance.

The first thing to say here is that watching Mads Mikkelsen dance is a joy all on its own. He has an elegant physicality that conveys so much, without him actually saying anything at all.

I first watched Another Round in early May and I think about this final scene most days. It is a scene that can be read in a number of different ways, and I am yet to wholly settle on one reading.

Do I read it positively? That we see Martin take one final swig of beer, before booting the can into the crowd. Proceeding then to dance passionately, relaxed and care-free, appreciating that he doesn’t need alcohol to appreciate the fullness and the beauty of his life.

Do I read it negatively? The as he sits on the bench and looks out over the docks, he has a realisation of where his life is going to go, before leaping into the water, following his late-friends devastating final steps.

I tend to lean towards the former, but perhaps that is just because I am hopelessly optimistic, preferring a happy ending to a realistic one.

Or perhaps Martin has just learned to live in the moment. That he isn’t particularly going to change anything in his life, but will instead try to just appreciate what he has, and what he has lost.

This is a scene which seems to encapsulate all of this and more. In writing this piece I have watched it a number of time, and each time I come away with both a huge smile on my face, and a feeling of unease in the pit of my stomach. It encapsulates the buzz, and the sense of happiness that one can get from alcohol, and alludes to the pain and misery that it can bring once the buzz has worn off.

As it closes on that final freeze frame (Included either to the right (if you’re reading on desktop) or below (if you are reading on a mobile device), the film seems to ask us the question. Is Martin flying, or is he falling? It is a conscious decision on behalf of the film makers to leave us with this image. And this question is one that I doubt I will ever be able to give a definitive answer to.

Directed by: Thomas Vinterberg

Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe

UK Release Date: 2nd July 2021