The Counterfeiters ending explained

What happens

The prisoners survive until liberation. In Monte Carlo, Sally gambles away the forged money he kept, then walks the beach with Burger, who has lost his wife. Winning and losing mean nothing to him; being alive has not made him free.

The last image

Sally and Burger stand together on the beach in Monte Carlo, two survivors with nothing left to say.

What it says

The ending refuses a triumphant release. Sally's survival was bought by being useful, and the film shows that it brings no relief and no clear verdict on him or Burger. You are left asking what you would have done.