This German film from writer-director Natja Brunckhorst is set in the summer of 1990 as the GDR was waiting to be absorbed by its neighbour. As teenaged tearaway Jannek spends his days writing graffiti on abandoned buildings, parents Maren (Sandra Hüller) and Robert (Max Riemelt) ponder their newly unemployed status and wonder what fate awaits them.
With the return of the hulking Volker (Ronald Zehrfeld) from Hungary, tensions rise among the three adults, with questions raised about their previous relationship and particularly in regard to Maren's daughter Dini.
Meanwhile.... a stash of soon to be worthless Ostmarks is sitting in a conveniently located warehouse where Uncle Marke happens to work. So, they hatch a scheme to trade them in for D-Marks. What could possibly go wrong?
Billed as a heist comedy, Two to One is actually an odd mix of sepia hued Ostalgie for a lost dream, with a bit of love triangle and then a smidgen of action thrown in as an afterthought. It is not especially comedic but it is quite cryptic, a slow burn of building discomfort. By the quite rushed and confusing end, I had quite a few questions, mostly involving the currency scheme and also what had happened with the three protagonists. I couldn't work out if they had been a throuple gone wrong, a fling, or possibly had an open relationship.
Brunckhorst's screenplay provides several moments that suggest impending drama or a confrontation only to pivot to the next scene, depriving the audience of the satisfaction of seeing how a scene plays out. But the film is quite affecting.
What is most extraordinary is this story is based on true events, as the closing credits explain. Numismatics will be thrilled by the trading machinations, but those with little knowledge of German politics may be a bit bewildered by the events as presented.
Two to One gets its UK release on 2 May.
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