Four high school teachers consume alcohol on a daily basis to see how it affects their social and professional lives.
Our Take: Worth a watch if you’re interested in foreign-language films.
Streaming? Yes, on Hulu.
Another stage-to-screen production, this film focuses on something that’s sort of universal: Alcohol. It’s always good to have a plot that can reach lots of people, that folks can relate to. That’s what makes a good play or movie or in this case both.
The plot is progressed by the concept of a thesis on alcohol, occasionally playing up bits of the text and blood alcohol levels as signposts for the actions ahead. The action lulls a bit in the middle. It’s hard to watch people’s lives fall apart for two hours and without the middle bits, the movie could’ve still been successful. It’s all worth it though for the denouement, culminating in a final scene that borders on perfection.
Mikkleson and the rest of the four main characters spent a lot of time drinking and watching videos of drunk people on YouTube during production to inform their performances as drunk people on video. Their relationship with alcohol plays out in an interesting, clever, and sometimes devastating way.
SMASH AND NASTY’S AWARDS SEASON THOUGHTS
We think it’s a shoe in for International Feature and really, any other year, you’d be seeing Vinterberg’s name at the top of lots of Best Director predictions lists. But it’s not another year and that category is Chloe Zhao’s to lose.
| Another Round | CC | Best Foreign Language Film | Denmark |
| Another Round | GG | Best Picture – Foreign Language | Denmark |
| Another Round | Oscar | Best Director | Thomas Vinterberg |
| Another Round | Oscar | International Feature | Denmark |
Smash and Nasty go to the movies 