We were sent a trailer for Two to One a little while ago, and it looked interesting. Not only were we sent a screener, but we also had a chance to interview the director, Natja Brunckhorst, who was fascinating to talk to. It’s a comedy heist movie, set in East Germany.
Two to One stars Sandra Huller, Mr Reimelt, Ronald Zehrfeld, Ursula Werner, Peter Kurth, Martin Brambach and Uwe Preuss. Natja Brunckhorst writes and directs. The story is:
A family in East Germany finds millions in soon-to-be-worthless East German currency during 1990’s reunification, and take what they can carry.
The Story
The movie is set in East Germany, before the unification in 1989. There are three main protagonists, Robert (Riemelt), Maren (Huller) and Volker (Zehrfeld). All three of them are unemployed and relying on the state.
They hear about how the East German government had printed money, thinking they were going to take over the West. When it became clear the West would incorporate the East, the money would become useless.
Millions, possibly billions, of East German marks were just dumped into tunnels. The money was still used in the East, but it was going to be worthless when the Berlin Wall fell.
Robert, Maren and Volker find out about the money and steal some of it, the only problem being, there are only about 3 days left to spend it. Also, how do you spend that much money without drawing too much attention to yourself?
A door-to-door salesman turns up and will take the East German money, as he can convert it back in the West. The guys end up buying loads of stuff from different salesmen, then selling the goods in the West for Western money. It’s all good.
In the end, they need help and get everyone in their block to help out, they all help, everyone gets a share, and they can all be set for the future. The downside is, there are East bank notes in denominations of 200 and 500. These were never put into circulation, but Maren’s daughter takes a 200 mark note and buys a teddy.
As always, this is all the tip of the iceberg with the story, but I’ll let you be surprised by the rest of it.
Two To One
I wasn’t that sure about watching the movie at first, but since I had the interview lined up, I had to. The good thing was, this wasn’t a bad movie at all; in fact, it was a great movie. It’s all based on a true story. According to the director, she read just a small snippet and thought the story needed expanding.
It’s weird, as the story was sold in the press as Maren as the main protagonist, but I didn’t find this in Two to One. There are three main players, all of whom have a history, and there is a subtle love triangle going on. This made a refreshing change, as it wasn’t the main focus of the story; the money was.
When they decide to open up the ‘money laundering’ operation to the rest of the block, you are introduced to a wonderful set of characters. They are all funny, without being a parody.
The humour in the movie is really spot on. It has wonderful little moments of comedy, which aren’t just set up with a punchline to finish them. They are just little nods, and I found I was either giggling to myself or laughing out loud.
Overall
We will never shill here at the Last Movie Outpost. I have had an interview with the director, but I’m not liking this movie because of the interview. Two to One is a genuinely good ‘feel good movie’ and I couldn’t help but like it.
The cast is wonderful, the direction is very good, as is the photography, but it’s the story that I loved the most about the movie. I was really invested in everyone, not just the main three, but all of the cast and found myself really rooting for them.
I’m not going to spoil the end, but it is a Chef’s Kiss of an ending. All of the stories end well, and when you think it’s all over, there’s just a bit more that really put a smile on my face. I genuinely can’t think of a more satisfying ending to a movie. In fact, I can’t remember the last movie I finished with such a big smile on my face.
Two to One was a little hard work because of the subtitles. I’m dyslexic, so it takes a lot of effort for me, but it was totally worth it. The story isn’t going to be everyone’s cuppa tea, but it is worth watching.
I’m giving it a solid 4.5 out of 5, as it is one of my favourites of this year. It’s not Hollywood, it’s not clichéd, and it’s not made for the ‘modern audience’. It is very clever, nicely directed and has a good cast. I genuinely liked it, honestly, I’m not shilling!
Two to One is in British cinemas on the 2nd of May and I highly recommend it.
