There is a theory that man is born with half a per mille too little. That alcohol in the blood opens the mind to the outside world, problems seem smaller and creativity increases. We know it well; after the first glass of wine, the conversation lifts, the possibilities open up. Martin is a high school teacher. He feels old and tired. His students and their parents want him terminated to increase their average. Encouraged by the per mille theory, Martin and his three colleagues throw themselves into an experiment to maintain a constant alcohol impact in everyday life. If Churchill won World War II in a dense fog of spirits, what could the strong drops do for them and their students?
Read review from The Guardian and from an alcoholic recovery group.
Discussion Questions
- What was your most memorable line or scene, and why?
- Midlife crises are known for facing or avoiding life’s failures and insecurities. How do our characters fare in negotiating mid-life? What can we conclude from how differently the characters responded to the ‘plan’?
- How do you understand that last scene? Where do you see Martin going from here?
- What are your personal experiences with alcohol? What have you learned from using or misusing the drug?
- Which Scripture or wisdom saying does this film remind you of?
- Do you think this movie glamorizes drinking? Why or why not?
- What do you make of the thesis the movie is based on?
- What advantages or disadvantages do you see in the “social lubrication” factor, as the movie depicts it?
- How would you have advised the student who thought his hopes of medical school were ruined?