Two Lottery Tickets is a comedy from Romanian filmmaker, Paul Negoescu, which was initially released in its home country back in 2016, but is just now getting a release here in the U.S. It follows three best friends who are down on their luck, and in desperate need of cash. One in particular, Dinel (Dorian Boguță), has it worse than the others, he’s practically broke and dealing with problems in his marriage. He’s a mechanic in a small town, and when he isn’t getting yelled at by pissed off customers, he’s drinking with his buddies, Sile (Dragoș Bucur) and Pompiliu (Alexandru Papadopol).
One day, when the three get together. Sile convinces Dinel to buy a lottery ticket, which Pompiliu helps pays for. Later that day, Dinel gets robbed by two petty thieves at his apartment complex, making off with his fanny pack. Things seem to turn up when the friends realize they have the winning numbers. Unfortunately, Dinel’s ticket was in his stolen fanny pack. So, his friends help him in going around, asking people if they are aware of who the thieves might be, and where they could be found. And in that journey, they meet a number of colorful characters along the way.
The film is a classic shaggy dog story, one where we meet and endear ourselves to characters who are at a low point in their lives, who then find an opportunity to get out of the normal routines of their lives. While I’m sure there are nuances that are firmly rooted in the cultural specificities of the Romanian experience, the core of the story is one that I think many folks can relate to, that of being impoverished, and always hoping that there will be some money making opportunity right around the corner, a sadly all too common experience.
At one point, one of the friends is talking to a girl that they are giving a ride to, and he begins talking about Romanian cinema, saying: “Romanians are bad at making movies” because they are all doom and gloom, and don’t highlight the good parts of the country. While I am unfortunately not well versed in the Romanian film world, one can’t help but see this as a playful jab against the Romanian New Wave, which are typically very grounded and weighty in their themes. Although, the same could be said of this film, which simply takes these common themes, and puts a cheeky spin on it.
The film is very funny through and through, mostly by way of dry one-liners and borderline absurdist situations that keep at least one foot planted in reality. It’s sold well because the performances are very charming and more fine tuned than one would initially expect from a film as loosey-goosey as this. They bring a lot of personality, with Dinel being a kind-hearted dope, Sile being the gambling addict who putting up a tab that he can’t pay back, and Pompiliu being the happily married conspiracy theorist. The folks they bump into along the journey offer some really fun moments as well, and it paints a compelling picture of the world around these guys.
Two Lottery Tickets is a very enjoyable comedy, and it’s the kind of comedy that works because it taps into a reality that many people experience, not just in Romania. Sometimes the sketch-like nature of some of the sequences do break any semblance of momentum, but it ultimately doesn’t matter because the comedy works so well. Many moments had me laughing out loud, and it’s through the strengths of the performances and the sharp writing from Paul Negoescu that keeps you continuously invested. It’s a film that has plenty to say about the conditions many working class Romanians live in, but it does so while keeping you entertained. I certainly found it hard to resist its charms.
Two Lottery Tickets will open in select theaters and virtual cinemas on May 21st.