With an impressive cast including Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller, director Natja Brunkhorst’s light yet heart-felt comedy Two to One opens in UK cinemas on 2nd May.
It’s the baking hot summer of 1990 in East Germany. The Berlin Wall fell several months ago, but the existence of a unified Germany is still in the process of being settled. After 40 years of living in the socialist East, many are finding the idea of capitalism difficult to accommodate.
Among a group of residents of a small town are Maren (Sandra Hüller), husband Robert (Max Riemelt) and childhood friend of both Volker (Ronald Zehrfeld). With Germany only a few months away from reunification, the three stumble across a fortune in East German currency which has been left to rot in an underground bunker, as there are only days to go before the East’s currency is no longer legal tender, and everyone must begin to use the Deutschmark. With the solidarity and community spirit of their neighbours in the apartment block, the trio decide to try to make capitalism work in their favour by using the last few days to get the better of some black market trading perpetrated by the Westerners.
Two to One is, on the surface, a light-hearted comedy caper about an unusual opportunity seized by a community to make their lives better with an unknown future ahead of them. Sandra Hüller, of course, is an excellent actress in either dramatic or comedic roles, and she is the lynchpin and the positive energy of the venture (and the movie). Either side of her (literally), Max Riemelt and Ronald Zehrfeld are also both accomplished actors, bringing a different dynamic to proceedings. Riemelt’s Robert is a traditional, family man, wary of breaking any laws, and happy to just do the right thing. Zehrfeld’s Volker is more of a risk taker, and has just recently returned home after taking the opportunity to travel following the fall of the Wall. With a long history between the three, Maren (not unlike her country) finds herself between past and future, between stability and adventure, between Robert and Volker.
The supporting cast is populated by a host of faces which will be familiar to anyone who watches the long-running German television series Tatort and Polizeiruf 110 (Peter Kurth, Martin Brambach and Uwe Preuss), all of whom represent various versions of grumpy, ageing men who feel like they have lost their place in society with so many changes happening. The younger generation, on the other hand, is already finding its way in this new Germany and is preparing to be part of the change.
Two to One is a warm, entertaining film about community, changing times and relationships, and with a cast such as this, it’s absolutely worth the watch.
Two to One will be in UK Cinemas from 2nd May 2025.
With an impressive cast including Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller, director Natja Brunkhorst’s light yet heart-felt comedy Two to One opens in UK cinemas on 2nd May.
It’s the baking hot summer of 1990 in East Germany. The Berlin Wall fell several months ago, but the existence of a unified Germany is still in the process of being settled. After 40 years of living in the socialist East, many are finding the idea of capitalism difficult to accommodate.
Among a group of residents of a small town are Maren (Sandra Hüller), husband Robert (Max Riemelt) and childhood friend of both Volker (Ronald Zehrfeld). With Germany only a few months away from reunification, the three stumble across a fortune in East German currency which has been left to rot in an underground bunker, as there are only days to go before the East’s currency is no longer legal tender, and everyone must begin to use the Deutschmark. With the solidarity and community spirit of their neighbours in the apartment block, the trio decide to try to make capitalism work in their favour by using the last few days to get the better of some black market trading perpetrated by the Westerners.
Two to One is, on the surface, a light-hearted comedy caper about an unusual opportunity seized by a community to make their lives better with an unknown future ahead of them. Sandra Hüller, of course, is an excellent actress in either dramatic or comedic roles, and she is the lynchpin and the positive energy of the venture (and the movie). Either side of her (literally), Max Riemelt and Ronald Zehrfeld are also both accomplished actors, bringing a different dynamic to proceedings. Riemelt’s Robert is a traditional, family man, wary of breaking any laws, and happy to just do the right thing. Zehrfeld’s Volker is more of a risk taker, and has just recently returned home after taking the opportunity to travel following the fall of the Wall. With a long history between the three, Maren (not unlike her country) finds herself between past and future, between stability and adventure, between Robert and Volker.
The supporting cast is populated by a host of faces which will be familiar to anyone who watches the long-running German television series Tatort and Polizeiruf 110 (Peter Kurth, Martin Brambach and Uwe Preuss), all of whom represent various versions of grumpy, ageing men who feel like they have lost their place in society with so many changes happening. The younger generation, on the other hand, is already finding its way in this new Germany and is preparing to be part of the change.
Two to One is a warm, entertaining film about community, changing times and relationships, and with a cast such as this, it’s absolutely worth the watch.
Two to One will be in UK Cinemas from 2nd May 2025.
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