On paper, Thomas Vinterberg’s “Another Round” and Sofia Coppola’s “On the Rocks” don’t share a lot of similarities. You have Vinterberg’s film showing the downward spiral of a group of teachers that test the limits of drunkenness and then Coppola’s feature showing a rather dysfunctional father/daughter relationship. But really, when push comes to shove, these films are both about family. And drinking. But mostly family.
READ MORE: ‘Another Round,’ ‘Two of Us’ Among 15 Shortlisted For International Film Oscar
In an exclusive discussion that we are able to share with our readers, both Vinterberg and Coppola are joined by Elvis Mitchell to discuss their films and how they both deal with the tensions and complexity of family. As Mitchell says towards the beginning of the discussion, these are “family films,” but not in the same way that a Pixar feature is a family film, if you can see the distinction.
As mentioned, “Another Round” comes from Thomas Vinterberg and stars Mads Mikkelsen as a teacher that is just stuck in the mundane routine of his middle-aged life. He has a good job, a loving wife, children, and a friend group that is tight. But when his friends propose a social experiment to see if staying moderately drunk the entire day could enhance the pleasures of their day-to-day existence, things start great but eventually go a bit awry.
READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2020 You Didn’t See
“I wanted to make a celebration of alcohol, solely,” said Vinterberg. “But then, of course, it grew from there. We couldn’t really find the engine for the story, and then we very quickly realized what was even more fascinating is this socially-acceptable liquor that can elevate situations, elevate people, make great world leaders make great decisions, also kills people, destroys families and whole societies. And if we want to make a more honest movie, we have to make a movie about both things.”
Liquor does play a role in Coppola’s “On the Rocks,” but that film focuses on an estranged father/daughter relationship that gets put under the microscope after the daughter needs her father’s help to find out if her husband has been unfaithful.
“I think it’s always interesting what’s not being said and the tensions,” explained Coppola about the relationship at the center of her film. “I’m always interested in what’s under the surface.”
READ MORE: The Best Cinematography Of 2020
The discussion goes much deeper about both filmmakers and their features. However, one of the more interesting revelations comes when Coppola shares a bit of trivia about wanting Vinterberg to play a role in her feature, “Marie Antoinette.”
“I wanted Thomas to be Count Fersen in ‘Marie Antoinette,’” revealed Coppola. “He’s always Count Fersen to me. And when I met you with your daughter, she was so cute with the ‘He’s Count Fersen.’ So you’re always Count Fersen to me.”
You can watch the entire discussion below:
