I haven't delved too much into director Thomas Vinterberg's work before, but I have a feeling I'm going to start from here on. I've seen Jagten (The Hunt) before, another collaboration with Vinterberg and Mads Mikkelsen, and found it to be a really good, traumatising film that displays the herd mentality of society.
Danish cinema to begin with is an area I haven't particularly explored much in the past, but I've seen enough to have formed the opinion that these entries are often far from prose, featuring the traditional film elements that are now missing in Hollywood's modern blockbuster style. The majority being in the middle of blockbuster and arthouse, belonging to neither.
Druk is one of such films. Vinterberg knows exactly how much of everything is needed to give Druk what it needs to come, entertain, and go. It never oversteps in its direction to provide context or character development, as such developments and context are given through the narrative in snippets as the film progresses. I have to admit, I really enjoyed the simplicity of visual storytelling as opposed to verbal, pointless exposition.
In short, Druk tells the narrative of multiple friends that happen to be teachers at a small school, each of which considerably quite miserable and under the evident impacts of a mid-life crisis; lacking enthusiasm for their jobs and as a result leading quite monotone lifestyles. During a birthday party, they discuss a theory in which the concept of living with a certain blood alcohol level can improve happiness and general success in life. With nothing to lose, one-by-one they begin to test that theory out.
Shot on Canon K35 lenses -- a lens from the 1970s and considered vintage -- Druk plays excellently into the concept of always being somewhat under the influence of alcohol. The cinematography shows a blurred reality, often seeming anamorphic or out-of-focus in parts. I noticed this frequently, almost unsure as to whether it was genuinely intentional or not, though when that connection is made, it makes a lot of sense. Colour tones are smoother, more appealing to the eye, similar to that of being under the influence of alcohol. The characters begin to consume more and more alcohol daily, noticing significant improves in their attitudes and their jobs -- the ultimate question, however, is not whether constant alcohol consumption can fix their lives, but whether it is capable of ruining them.
There's a fine line between alcoholism and feeling a buzz that opens the mind, and Druk is quick to explore that fine line individually with each character. Some perform better than others, and others ultimately collapse under the weight of blatant abuse. Though Druk isn't a narrative exploring the ethical questions of alcohol consumption, it never portrays it in an overly positive or negative manner, it's more a tale displaying the ways in which alcohol can be enjoyed, even frequently, without taking it too far and losing control of your life.
Ultimately, Druk is a soul-searching story where alcohol provides the confidence in the characters, pushing them into territories they'd otherwise lost in their daily lives. And it's heavily carried by a wide range of excellent performances, from a relatively unknown cast aside from our forever loved Mads Mikkelsen. I was pleasantly surprised at such strong performances from the the rest of the cast, leading to me actually wanting to see more of them and explore their characters, but again, Druk does not attempt to over step.