"And then We Danced" and "Another Round"

Catching up on some foreign films.

I missed "And Then We Danced" back in 2019, a LGBT coming of age film that caused a ruckus in its home country of Georgia, despite content that seems pretty tame in the U.S.  It was written and directed by Levan Akin, and stars Levan Gelbakhiani as Merab, a dancer who has dedicated much of his life toward becoming a member of Georgia's national dance company.  He and his older brother David (Giorgi Tsereteli) both train under a strict choreographer, Aleko (Kakha Gogidze), but David has been losing interest and getting involved in petty crime.  Merab, paired with a student named Mary (Ana Javakishvili), struggles to improve his prospects, which are threatened when a more talented dancer named Iraki (Bachi Valishvili) appears as a new rival. 

It's so satisfying to watch "And Then We Danced" slowly transform into a full-blown romance, punctuated with a series of dance sequences that build up to one of the most vibrant, exuberant endings I've seen in a movie all year.  Levan Gelbakhiani, who carries the bulk of the film, has no other acting credits, and neither does most of the rest of the cast.  Dancing ability was clearly prioritized, lending authenticity to the presentation of the traditional Georgian dances featured in the film, and a wonderful physicality to the performances.  Dance is used to convey tradition, seduction, rebellion, and a slew of other themes, while giving the whole production some big visual oomph.  There is sex, kept just out of frame, but it's the intimacy that has far more impact.  Merab and Iraki's relationship plays out in such a compelling way because Akin does such a good job of setting up the personal stakes for everyone involved.  The real life drama around the film only makes it feel more vital and immediate.

Speaking of dance sequences, Denmark's "Another Round" might also be mistaken for a dance picture, because the only clip of it I've seen in circulation is the final five minutes of the film, where Mads Mikkelson performs an exhilarating, drunken dance routine.  In actuality, the film is about a quartet of teachers who decide to experiment with alcohol, and try going about their daily lives while constantly inebriated.  Director Thomas Vinterberg explores the Danish drinking culture, which is far more intense than the American one.  The drinking experiment escalates with predictably negative consequences, but Vinterberg isn't out to vilify alcohol, but to use it as a way to explore the lives of his middle-aged protagonists.

Martin (Mikkelson), Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen), Peter (Lars Ranthe), and Nikolaj (Magnus Millang) all teach together at the Danish equivalent of high school.  Some are married with families, some are not, and all are in a rut professionally.  The experiment invigorates their lives, at least for a while, as they find that keeping a small, but significant amount of alcohol in their systems actually improves their teaching ability and personal happiness.  Martin, who doesn't drink at the beginning of the film, goes through some especially wild swings in attitude and behavior, impacting his family, his job, and everything else.  The film has been billed as a dramedy, and manages to walk a fine line between funny and poignant.  I was less receptive to the humor, probably due to the cultural differences, but I found the foursome rediscovering their joie de vivre, battling alcoholism, and facing their demons together to be terrifically entertaining.    

       

It's strange - in a good way - to see a male bonding through substance abuse film approached from such a different angle, and taken to its logical ends.  We see the consequences of romanticizing irresponsible behavior and risk taking, while at the same time Vinterberg and company seem far more accepting of a certain amount of social lubrication than most.  Their final stance on alcohol is a mystery, with the fates of many of their characters - happily drunk again - left ambiguous.       

 

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