ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

alcohol

Another Round – Just a Little Buzz

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The ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes is credited with saying, “Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.” Those of us who drink may recognize that concept. A touch of alcohol can make us just a bit more outgoing, more witty, more entertaining. Of course, too much alcohol can lead in the opposite direction. In Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round (original title, Druk), that idea is central.

Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) is a teacher who is feeling a bit of middle-aged ennui. He’s just going through the motions at school and in his family. He’s afraid that his life has become boring. When he goes out to celebrate of his friend’s fortieth birthday, the discussion comes around to a theory propounded by Norwegian psychiatrist Finn Skårderud, that people need a constant blood alcohol concentration of 0.05% to be at their best. (For reference, most states have a 0.08 BAC limit for driving.) Martin and his three friends (played by Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, and Lars Ranthe), also teachers, set about to test this hypothesis. They even treat it as a psychological experiment, making notes about their experiences.

Martin begins to want to connect with students, his wife, his sons. All of the friends find that sneaking that drink from time to time during the day has improved many aspects of life—even during the times they aren’t drinking. Since that 0.05 BAC did so well, they decide to step it up, to see if there’s an upper limit. That, of course, is when the troubles begin. What started out as making life better, turned into a nightmare.

In press notes, Vinterberg says, “We want to create a tribute to alcohol but it goes without saying we also want to paint a nuanced picture. Embedded in our examination of the essence of alcohol lies an acknowledgement that people die from – and are destroyed by – excessive drinking. An existence with alcohol generates life, but it also kills.” The film is full of examples of people from history who were known for their drinking, such as Winston Churchill and Ernest Hemingway. But even there, the film reminds us that the former led Britain in winning World War II, while the latter, in spite of great literary success, committed suicide.

I find it worth noting that the film opens with a quote from Søren Kierkegaard, and Kierkegaard comes up again later in the film as a student goes through an oral exam. Maybe it’s just because the film is Danish, but bringing a proto-existentialist theologian into the equation calls us to think in deeper terms than just watching a group of men drink. The film really asks (but knows it cannot answer) the question of if such drinking brings happiness or destruction. It holds both scenarios and reminds us that, like other aspects of life, we are in constant tension between the two.

Another Round is available on VOD

Photos courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Morning, Noon & Night – Light Weight Look at Addiction

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Morning, Noon  & Night seeks to be a mirror through which we see the way addiction controls lives. It tries to do so with humor, but in the end it merely ridicules addicts as losers without giving us any real insight to addiction.

The film is three interconnected stories (along with some peripheral characters who also bring their addictions to the mix). Cliff (John Manfredi) is a middle executive who starts his day with a few lines of cocaine (to be repeated as needed). His daughter Kelly (Carly Schneider) is a slacker community college student who spends her day with friends doing pot, opioids, and starting in on heroin. Kelly’s history teacher Aaron (Frank Ondorf) is an alcoholic who thinks he hides it, but doesn’t. They each spend their day trying to get to their next encounter with their drug of choice. Although they are perfectly happy to mix and match and use any drug that’s available.

For the purposes of this film, addiction is equated with substance abuse. Cocaine, marijuana, pills, alcohol, heroin, and the uber-addiction tobacco all find their way into the story. It doesn’t touch on the other kinds of addictions that people struggle with: eating disorders, gambling (to be fair, gambling is mentioned in one scene), sexual addictions, even perhaps religion. Nor does the film provide any insight into what leads people into addiction, other than an ennui based on the boredom of daily life.

Morning, Noon & Night barely scratches the surface of addiction or addicts. Is it a moral problem or a disease? This film seems to see it as a moral problem. The people we see are weak and pitiful. It seems we’re suppose to think that they just need to stop doing whatever drugs they do, straighten up, and take control of their lives. If only addiction were that simple.

Perhaps my biggest disappointment with the film is that it has no sign of hope. Addictions can be addressed and overcome—but never easily. The characters in the film all just float along. Their addictions don’t really make them happy, but they also don’t really seem to hinder them in their daily lives. They just spend their time getting and using whatever drug they seek. No one grows. No one suffers. No one does much of anything except use drugs. Even addicts have lives.

Photos courtesy of Panoramic Pictures

Colossal Undertaking – An Interview with director Nacho Vigalondo

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When it finally receives its wide release, Colossal will surprise everyone. Given that it will most likely be marketed based on its supernatural elements, the film may seem like a simple monster mash-up.

But don’t tell that to the film’s writer and director, Nacho Vigalondo.

“It’s a mix,” he explains. “50% comes from my love towards monster movies and kaiju eigas. The initial premise is my way to approach those genres from a funny and, at the same time, accessible approach to me as filmmaker. The other 50% is my life, all my shades and bright moments.”

Written and directed by Vigalondo, Colossal tells the story of Gloria (Anne Hathaway), a woman who is dominated by her addiction to alcohol. After her boyfriend (Dan Stevens) ends their relationship and throws her out of his house, she returns to her family home in an attempt to find herself once again. While the Earth deals with a catastrophic kaiju crisis across the globe, Gloria takes a job in a local tavern and re-establishes relations with it’s owner (Jason Sudeikis), a childhood friend with whom she’d lost touch. As the two begin to reminisce and rebuild, Gloria soon realizes that she has a strange connection with the events taking place on the other side of the world.

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For Vigalondo, having the opportunity to work with stars like Oscar-winner Hathaway and comedy veteran Sudeikis was amazingly fortunate, especially considering that their names were brought to him.

“Those were the first names offered and today I can´t think of a better casting for this roles,” he muses. “They are talented, clever, and both surprising.”

What’s more, in an interesting twist on the kaiju genre, Colossal shifts the monster mayhem to Seoul, Korea, as oppose to the more traditional Japanese setting. For Vigalondo, however, the setting actually speaks more about the way American culture grapples with disasters that take place around the globe that do not affect them directly.

“Seoul represents [the] ‘not-USA’,” he begins. “[It’s] a nation struggling with a disaster that American people within the comfort of their houses contemplate, try to understand, and make jokes about.”

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With this in mind, one setting that is important to the film is the local tavern where the friends congregate each night. Gathering together until the early hours of the morning for drinking and storytelling, this location seems to take on the role of sanctuary for the characters. Nonetheless, Vigalondo also believes that the bar carries with it an element of danger as well.

“Not just the bar, but [more] specifically the “men cave” beyond the Country and Western side—the place where they drink after 2 am. That´s the place that works as the ultimate shelter for these characters, but it´s a trap. I’ve been there.“

What sets Colossal apart from other monster films (other than, arguably, the kaiju films developed overseas) is its ability to balance both character-focused drama with city-crushing monsters. (No offence Guillermo, but Pacific Rim hardly contained intimate personal issues.) Vigalondo admits that the film serves as metaphor for one woman’s struggle with addiction.

“The movie disguises itself as a cautionary tale about alcohol and addiction,” he explains, “but reveals [itself to be] something else as the story unfolds. The monster initially feels like a projection of Gloria´s (Anne Hathaway) troubles but later we see it´s just her.”

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Of course, any film is better off with Anne Hathaway leading the cast. With Hathaway’s incredible talent and range, she is able to portray Gloria as a woman in pain yet gradually discovering strength and hope. When asked where that hope comes from, Vigalondo explains that he believes true power comes when we’re forced to make changes in our lives.

“That was one of the most tricky parts while writing the script. How can I make this character survive this situation while saving as much lives as possible? As in real life, in order to change, you need to experience a breaking point and, after that, you need to think about yourself in new terms. Out of the box. That what she does, it´s not about being more strong, but to change the nature of your strength.”

With Colossal, Nacho Vigalondo has created something truly unique and captivating. By it’s unique blend of character-driven indie and kaiju film, Vigalondo manages to explore the damage that can be done to our souls by others while still offering sci-fi elements and humour. Both fun and serious, the film will truly give you something you’ve never seen before.

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Colossal, which made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, is currently touring the festival circuit but is expected to receive a wide release early in 2017.