Run Lola Run


Starring Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtrau. Written and directed by Tom Tykwer.

Lola (Potente) receives a phone call from her boyfriend Manni (Bleibtrau) 20 minutes before 12 noon. Frantic and scared, Manni recounts how he picked up 100,000 marks for his drug boss. But Lola, who is never late, doesn't arrive to pick him up, so he takes the train home. While on the train, a couple of cops spook him and he gets off the train. But he has forgotten the money bag. As the train moves away, he notices a scraggly bum picking up his package of cash. He now has only 20 minutes before his boss shows up to collect the money. And he knows that if he doesn't come up with the cash in that time, his time remaining on earth will be very short. Lola promises to meet him at the phone booth, but Manni says if she's not there by 12 noon, he'll go into the large grocery store across the street and rob it to come up with the cash.

What follows is three versions of the same 20 minutes, filmed in real time. In each case Lola runs like the wind to find the cash, first thinking of her estranged but wealthy bank father. But little events - running into a car, falling down the stairs in her apartment, encountering her father's affair with a fellow director - change how each scenario unfolds.

German director Tykwer wrote and directed this creative, fast-paced and energetic film about how luck, timing and impulsive choices can significantly affect the outcome of events. The film is greatly helped by two low-key scenes in between the three versions of events. They involve Manni and Lola in bed discussing their relationship. The better one involves Lola asking Manni if he really loved her and he replies she is the "best girl in the world". Lola asks if he is sure, and he says yes. But Lola persists and asks what if he never met her, would he be having the same conversation with another woman. He says no, but after more persistance by Lola, he finally says it is possible. Lola then says "See, you're not sure" of their relationship, illustrating the fact that who we meet and fall in love with is a question of who we come into contact with. We could just have easily had a whole different life if events had been even a little altered.

Run Lola Run is only 80 minutes long, and zips along to a very satisfying conclusion. Tykwer employs different camera angles, and these views of the event are spliced together flashing back and forth very quickly, serving to creating tension and energy. Watching the same story three different ways never drags, because we are continually waiting to see how events will be changed in each new scenario, hoping things will turn out better. The film also possesses an offbeat sense of humour, which continually surprises. For certain characters that Lola meets on her run, Twyker uses a technique of flashing future events of that character's life, often to very humourous affect. Potente is excellent as the lithe, loyal Lola - you can't help but want to follow her where she's going. And watching her run isn't a chore either. Bleibtrau is also quite moving as the small-time loser, especially in his initial phone call to Lola begging for her help. Despite their low-rent lifestyle and propensity to occasionally do violence to get what they need, both characters are sympathetic, and we root for Lola to succeed. Run viewer run to see Lola at your nearest theater.




If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail



Press Here To Go To The Review List Page