Two Lottery Tickets (1959): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1959, Two Lottery Tickets is a comedy and drama film directed by Gheorghe Naghi, running about 58 minutes.

What it’s about. 1957 film adaptation of Romanian playwright Ion Luca Caragiale's novella “Două loturi” (Two Lottery Tickets, 1901). The scenario was written by director Jean Georgescu, one of the most skilled Romanian filmmakers of the 1940s and 1950s, while the directing belongs to Aurel Miheleş and Gheorghe Naghi, at that time both recently graduated from the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow. This is the second feature film in colour from Romania. Despite the great public success, the film was often criticized by reviewers, mostly for its unhandy directing from the two debutants. Miheleş and Naghi would however continue their collaboration and release another two Caragiale adaptations, of which “Telegrame” (Telegrams, 1959) was nominated for the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the 1960 edition of the Cannes festival.

Who’s in it. Two Lottery Tickets stars Grigore Vasiliu-Birlic as Dr. Lefter Popescu, Dorina Done as Madame Lefter Popescu, Marcel Anghelescu as Captain Pandele and Alexandru Giugaru as Comisar Turtureanu, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.8/10, Two Lottery Tickets has been warmly received by audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Two Lottery Tickets page.

If you liked it. Fans of Two Lottery Tickets tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.