TWO TO ONE, directed by Natja Brunckhorst, is inspired by an actual events that happened after the fall of the Berlin wall. The story follows Robert (Max Reimelt) and his partner Maren (Sandra Hüller) who, along with their community, struggle financially after the fall of the Berlin Wall. When Max is shown a bunker full of soon-to-be worthless money, he brings Maren as an opportunity for adventure. This escapade grows to include their neighbors who all become capitalists when converting the bills to assets like appliances, home goods and later a factory.
TWO FOR ONE was a beautiful production with many cinematic moments-with scene blockings whose striking color palettes reminded me of Wes Anderson’s style of crafting scenes. The film had plenty of hilarious hi-jinx and call backs and lots of heart. I particularly liked the story thread related to the oversized teddy that Maren’s daughter buys. It was particularly poignant when you get to the end credits and are given a major real-world tidbit alluded to in the feature.
The performances were all wonderful and I was impressed with the screenplay – truly this story was terrific and so well executed. I loved the music cues and the variety of minor characters and their impact on the overarching story was meaningful- as this was a story of a communist community taking it upon themselves to become capitalists as a means of making lemonade out of lemons(found money). The characters were all worth rooting for and I enjoyed it’s satisfying ending. TWO TO ONE is a must-see!
Melody Lopez, Producer, Filmmaker Mixer (posted by Madelyn, Correspondent, Filmmaker Mixer)