Druk or Another Round as it is popularly known is a Danish comedy-drama that swept audiences and critics last year with its fresh narrative and energetic performances. Leading man Mads Mikkelsen has had his fair share of intensely dramatic roles. In Another Round, he collaborates with director Thomas Vinterberg to play a similarly flawed character, but with a certain playfulness never seen before in his filmography.
Mikkelsen and his co-stars portray ordinary school teachers who grow dissatisfied with their mediocre lives. When one of them mentions an experiment that proposes drinking a limited amount of alcohol every day increases productivity, all of them readily agree until the side-effects start kicking in. The film is a quirky and unconventional tale on alcoholism and the after-effects it can leave on one's life and relationships.
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Nicolas Cage is a household name with a plethora of mainstream films but Leaving Las Vegas might arguably be one of his lesser-known films, ironically being his only Oscar win for acting. Cage features as a down-on-luck screenwriter who is struggling with alcoholism. Giving up on life, he decides to head out to Las Vegas to drink himself to death until a sex-worker (Elisabeth Shue) offers a new perspective of life.
Researching for his role, Cage engaged in binge-drinking in Dublin, asking his friend to videotape him so that he could study his own drunk speech to get into character.
Hamlet 2 (2008)
Interestingly, the aforementioned Elisabeth Shue plays a fictionalized version of herself in Hamlet 2, a film that focuses on a production of Hamlet that's intended to be a sequel to Shakespeare's classic play. The film is as random as it gets as a failed actor-turned-drama teacher (Steve Coogan) ambitiously directs a pop-culture driven, politically incorrect version of Hamlet.
Coogan perfectly represents the character's hopeless fall into alcoholism, as he needs an outlet to channel his unaccomplished dreams and to escape from his mid-life crisis. To an extent, Hamlet 2 can be seen as an R-rated variant of School of Rock.
Smashed (2012)
Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul play a dysfunctional couple with drinking issues in the film very aptly titled Smashed. However, after Winstead's character hits rock bottom, she decides to get sober and joins an Alcoholic Anonymous group. Rather than delving into the same, old, alcoholic stereotypes, Smashed offers a fresher perspective of a woman who is willing to introspect on her past.
True to the emotional nature of director James Ponsoldt's other films (The Spectacular Now, The End of The Tour), Smashed values moving, grounded character studies instead of over-the-top dramatic caricatures, that are otherwise aplenty in films on addiction/alcoholism.
Uncorked (2020)
Perhaps the film that brought wine-appreciation back in fashion was an underrated gem from Netflix called Uncorked. Unlike Sideways which featured wine enthusiasts, the lead in Uncorked (Mamoudou Athie) is committed to becoming a top-class sommelier (a professional wine taster in layperson terms). But when his father wishes for him to manage his family restaurant, a conflict of interest arises.
The film is a love letter to the world of wines, while also touching on how such arenas of culture are often reserved for the elites. So, the protagonist isn't just fighting his family to come closer to his dreams, but also his own financial limitations.
Sideways (2004)
Sideways is a film that actually contributed to the economics of the wine industry. When Miles (Paul Giamatti) appreciates Pinot Noir over Merlot, the sales of the former actually increased by 16% in American outlets, while Merlot's sales fell. Such has been the impact of Sideways.
The road film deals with two friends, one of whom is getting married and hopes to engage in extramarital escapades in his journey. Meanwhile, Miles as mentioned above is just interested in tasting good wine. He's shown a failed writer and an amateur wine-taster, with his appreciation for wines serving as the only thing that offers him hope.
Days Of Wine And Roses (1962)
Several films on alcoholism depict the alcoholic character as a burden to their romantic partner. In the case of Days of Wine and Roses, the alcoholic ends up sharing his habit with his lover! Joe Clay (Jack Lemmon) is a PR man, and owing to his job, he frequently drinks with his clients. Eventually, his teetotaler girlfriend (Lee Remick) also ends up binge-drinking leading to a toxic relationship, fueled with alcoholism.
The film is adorned with chilling performances from both the leads, with Lemmon breaking typecast as he was earlier known mainly for his feel-good comedies.
The Hunt/Jagten (2012)
While Another Round found Mads Mikkelsen merrily dancing and drinking to the fullest, Thomas Vinterberg's previous collaboration with the actor was much more serious in its nature. Mikkelsen yet again stars as a teacher in a small Danish town. One of his kindergarten students wrongly seems to think that her teacher sexually abused her. This leads to mass hysteria with the teacher being ostracized by the society around him.
The Hunt can be an uncomfortable watch for some as it doesn't offer any easy, straightforward answers. Additionally, Another Round's Thomas Bo Larsen and Lars Ranthe also appear in the film.
The Land Of Steady Habits (2018)
An overdose of anything can be lethal. So, when a wealthy yet vulnerable man ends up loathing his comfortable life, he decides to dose on a newfound lust for life. He retires from his job and leaves his wife in this process, only to go down a dark rabbit hole of drugs and unstable relationships. In the end, he faces the conflict of choosing one path in life, both of which seem extreme.
Yielding stunning performances by ever-reliable character actors like Ben Mendelsohn and Edie Falco, The Land of Steady Habits doubles as a case study in addiction and existentialism.
Half-Nelson (2006)
Ryan Gosling has played a charming gentleman in many a film but in Half-Nelson, he dons the guise of a disgruntled middle-school teacher with crack addiction. When one of his students (Shareeka Epps) discovers his secret, she strikes an unlikely friendship with him that ends up being oddly therapeutic.
With subtle underacting and a bittersweet exploration of human loneliness, Half-Nelson is a good-enough indie drama. It's also amusing to see a less-popular Gosling in a pretty unique role (the remnants of which could probably be seen in his performance in The Nice Guys).
6 Balloons (2018)
Clocking at just an hour and a few minutes, the Netflix original film 6 Balloons is an intense drama that takes place over the course of one eventful night. Abbi Jacobson stars as Kate, a woman who is simply spending her day preparing for her boyfriend's birthday party. But a call from her brother Seth (Dave Franco), a drug addict, compels her to come to his aid for the rest of the film.
6 Ballons might be devoid of the visual prowess of Requiem For A Dream or the power-packed dramatics of Beautiful Boy, but still, the film succeeds at presenting a raw and real account of how addicts end up impacting their loved ones. Given a chance, Kate can leave Seth at a rehab facility and forget about him altogether, but she still keeps on looking after him like he's a naive child. Is this familial love or a toxic obligation on her? That's left open to interpretation.