Another Round

The Intoxicating Truth Behind Another Round: Vinterberg and Mikkelsen’s Risky Experiment

Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round (2020) is a film that lingers—not just for its raw performances or its Oscar-winning punch, but for the real-life risks and revelations that shaped it. The movie, which follows four high school teachers testing a controversial theory about alcohol’s creative and social benefits, latestnetflix.com argues, blurs the line between fiction and reality in ways that left even its cast questioning their own limits.

A Theory That Hit Too Close to Home

The film’s premise—a group of friends systematically drinking to maintain a "constant, slight intoxication"—wasn’t just a scripted experiment. Vinterberg has revealed that the idea was partly inspired by real-life research, including a 1990s study by Norwegian psychiatrist Finn Skårderud, who suggested that humans are born with a blood alcohol deficit . But the director took it further, weaving in personal tragedy. Midway through production, Vinterberg’s 19-year-old daughter, Ida, died in a car accident. The film became a cathartic outlet, with Vinterberg rewriting the ending to reflect his grief and newfound perspective on life’s fragility . The result? A finale that’s both triumphant and devastating, a tonal shift that Mikkelsen later called "the bravest thing Thomas ever did" in Q&A sessions .

Mads Mikkelsen’s Unscripted Descent

Mikkelsen, who plays the lead, Martin, a disillusioned history teacher, didn’t just act drunk—he got drunk. In multiple interviews, the actor admitted that some of his most unhinged moments in the film were improvised while under the influence. "We had a rule: if we were going to drink on set, we’d do it for real," Mikkelsen said during a TIFF Q&A . The cast—Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, and Lars Ranthe—would reportedly start the day with a shot of vodka, then film scenes as their inhibitions (and coordination) deteriorated. Larsen, who plays the chaotic Tommy, even joked that the film’s most chaotic bar scene was "100% real" .

But the experiment had consequences. Mikkelsen later confessed that the experience left him with a "weird relationship" with alcohol, admitting he avoided drinking for months after filming wrapped . Vinterberg, too, has said the shoot was emotionally exhausting, with the cast often left "hanging in a strange limbo between fiction and reality" .

The Oscar-Winning Twist No One Saw Coming

Another Round wasn’t just a critical darling—it was a dark horse at the Oscars, winning Best International Feature in 2021. But the film’s journey to the podium was almost derailed by its own premise. Early test screenings reportedly left audiences divided, with some viewers horrified by the characters’ self-destructive spiral . Vinterberg has said that studios were nervous about the film’s ambiguous ending, which replaces the expected moralizing with a burst of chaotic, drunken joy. "They wanted a clearer message," Vinterberg recalled. "But life isn’t clear" .

The film’s success ultimately hinged on its authenticity. Mikkelsen and Vinterberg’s long-standing collaboration (they’ve worked together since The Hunt in 2012) lent the project a shorthand that made the risky material feel grounded. Guillermo del Toro, who moderated a discussion between the two, called it "one of the most honest portrayals of male friendship I’ve ever seen" . Even the film’s title—Druk in Danish, meaning "binge drinking"—carries a double meaning, referencing both the characters’ experiment and the emotional binge the audience endures.

The Aftermath: Did the Cast Stay Sober?

Rumors swirled post-release about whether the cast maintained their real-life drinking habits. Larsen and Millang, who play the film’s most reckless characters, have joked in interviews about "never drinking again" after the shoot . Mikkelsen, meanwhile, has been more circumspect, calling the experience "a necessary evil" but warning against romanticizing alcohol . Vinterberg, for his part, has said the film’s legacy is bittersweet—celebrated for its boldness but shadowed by the personal loss that shaped it .

One thing’s certain: Another Round isn’t just a movie about drinking. It’s a film about the stories we tell ourselves to survive, the risks we take for connection, and the fine line between liberation and ruin. And for a cast and crew who lived that line, the hangover might still be lingering.