Drunk

Cultural Alcoholism

Social Drinking

Youth Alcoholism

The Alcoholism of the Political Figures Who Govern Us

Alcohol Justified as a Source of Creativity and Inspiration

Alcohol as an antidepressant, a disinhibitor, and a facilitator of so-called social bonds.

And of course, the denial of addicts, along with every good excuse to keep drinking again and again.

Everything is laid out in 1 hour and 56 minutes under the direction of Thomas Vinterberg.

Despite a few minor slow moments here and there, Drunk (original title Another Round) holds up extremely well thanks to exceptional acting and a solid script.

The director had the wisdom not to burden us with long scenes of degradation, but instead highlights certain moments with subtlety.

He clearly raises the question of alcohol’s role in our societies—particularly in this case, Danish society.

The plot revolves around four characters—teachers and friends. One of them, who teaches psychology, proposes an experiment involving alcohol. It quickly becomes clear that this “experiment” is just a justification for regular and eventually excessive drinking.

It will come as no surprise to anyone that Mads Mikkelsen is magnetic on screen, radiating both charisma and deep despair.

And despair is indeed at the heart of the story, affecting every character—main and secondary alike. One could say that alcohol steps in to comfort (and poison) a society that has lost its sense of meaning and joy in life.

This is the film’s true brilliance and subtlety: while alcohol is rightly scrutinized, so too is society as a whole. Alcohol is not the root of the collective and individual problem—it is merely a symptomatic addiction of a sick society.

If you’re questioning your own consumption:

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ALCOHOL