Cours, Lola, cours

I have seen the movie several times, and each time I find new details and nuances that add to the story and the movies as an audiovisual delight. Friends of mine introduced me to the sound track at first on a high quality stereo system. It was amazing. I went home and ordered the CD. I am no great fan of techno music but that first track made me hold my breath because of its beauty. It felt like sitting in a cathedral and listening to a simple choral. I know, awkward comparison, but...

A few observations of my own.

Lola's first "run" reveals that her father believes she is not his biological daughter, calls her a "cuckoos egg". And it's quite possible, since we see her mom in all 3 "runs" talking on the phone with someone other than her husband. Lola is devastated. All three "runs" feature the bank security guard, trying to calm down Lola, giving her support. Every time they have intense eye contact, some silent understanding. He once even greets her with "Da bist du ja, Liebling" ("there you are, darling"). Quite strange for a bank employee to call his boss' daughter that, don't you think? We also see early on that he might have a heart condition.

In the last story segment, we see the guard again, in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Lola caught a ride, for a change, to her meeting destination with Manni. Miraculously, the guard's heart condition improves as his hand reaches toward Lola's. The medic, at first annoyed ("what the heck are you doing here?") is puzzled. Lola's answer to his question, as she reaches for the guard's hand is: "Ich gehoer zu ihm." Very important, I think. Call me silly, but somehow I have this feeling that he might be her illegitimate father. As bank employee he might well have had contact with Lola's mother, and even time to have an affair with her, considering the workaholic dad being gone so much.

"Ich gehoer zu ihm" is badly translated in the subtitles as "I'll stay with him" while the German would better translate into "I belong to him." And that is something Lola could well have realized after her dad abandoned her with the accusation of being a cuckoo's egg.

The guard is also in the beginning of the movie quoting famous soccer coach Sepp Herberger's "the ball is round". It's in the league with Yogi Berra's famous word creations. The ball is round meant for Herberger, that anything can happen as long as the game is on. Expect the unexpected. Since this is a movie that wants the viewer to "think" about possibilities, why not go all the way?

The concepts are simple. How do our actions affect our own lives, as well as those whom we touch? What part do chance and random events play in determining an outcome? Can we select a different result by making different choices? In short, what is reality? Well, maybe it isn't all that simple, but while others have plowed these same fertile fields, as recently as the film "Go", and also in "The Music of Chance", based on Paul Auster's novel, no one has dealt with such cosmic existential questions with more brilliant originality, fast paced action, and a pulsing score than in this German cinematic masterpiece.

In a compact ninety minutes, combining snips of animation, cinema verité, quirky characters, situations and dialogue, and a pace that makes most music videos look like they've been filmed in slow motion, three versions of the same story sequence unfold, and each time conclude with a jolting finish that defies convention, and keeps the viewer guessing until the final frame.

This is one of those rare cinematic events that is entertaining, satisfying, and absorbing, as well as flawlessly acted, staged, edited, produced and directed. I thought that Lola ran her race with flair and style, and left all others way behind in the dust.

Run Lola Run. What a cool title.

It tells the tale of a young man, Manni, who one day was doing a job for crime boss. The job was just to deliver a bag of money to him with 100000 DM which roughly translates to $20000 or $25000 US. Unfortunatly Manni leaves the money on a train and is totally screwed unless he can get the money back in 20 minutes. So he calls his girlfriend, Lola (and no, she is not the girl from The Fifth Element), for help. From here the film follows Lola choosing three paths, each going for 20 minutes, to getting the money for Manni.

Run Lola Run is a wonderful study of how life consists of the paths we take. Some say there is no right and wrong paths to take in life, but Run Lola Run seems to illustrate that the right path is the best. Franka Potente (Lola) does a wonderful job and must have lost about 10 pounds for all the running she does in this film. But the real star here is Tom Tykwer (the director), who vison for this film is so fantastic and cool.

In terms of coolness, this has to be one of the coolest movies ever made. It contains black and white camera, animation, three or four different types of slow motion, fast motion and the most amazing still shots taken for a film which is enough to keep anyone interested. Plus this film is only 80 minutes long, but luckily it feels about 20 minutes longer than that.

After being one of the most talked about films of 1998, I would safely say that Run Lola Run has inspired a large number of film makers. Run Lola Run is a modern masterpiece and should pave the way for the future of films.

"Run Lola Run" is one of the most fun, involving, stylish movies I've seen in a long time. The suspense is high from the get-go, with Lola's boyfriend Manni phoning her to say that if he doesn't get 100,000 deutsche marks within 20 minutes, a gangster will kill him. Immediately, Lola sets off running through Berlin in a frantic attempt to locate the money. The fun part is that we see Lola's journey three times with three very different outcomes, determined by little things that happen to Lola as she runs.

Lola (the engaging Franka Potente) manages to be both an iconic, super-cool heroine, and a believable young woman who just wants to get her boyfriend out of trouble. IMDb ratings show that this is the rare action movie that appeals to girls more than to guys, probably because Lola is such a strong character.

This is exhilarating film-making, with a propulsive soundtrack, a fast pace, and many flashy effects like animated and black-and-white sequences--in addition to the most stunning use of split-screen that I've ever seen. Incredibly for such a young director, these techniques are employed with great assurance. I also like how although the film is "hip" and sometimes amused by the crazy things that happen to people, it's never cynical. Instead, there's a sweet optimism to it, a faith in karma and love.

Occasionally, "Run Lola Run" is a bit too clever for its own good. The rapid-fire montages that show the fates of minor characters are superficially amusing, but unnecessarily hammer home the theme that "little things can have a huge effect on a person's life." However, the movie's philosophies are still ambiguous enough that there's a lot to think about when it's over. Furthermore, "Run Lola Run" is an extraordinarily good time; it's impossible to take your eyes off the screen whenever Lola's on it.

Run Lola Run is a very original film in its premise, it guarantees entertainment to the spectator from beginning to end, the film requires the spectator's full attention and because it is short, I suggest not to pause or divert focus, because I believe this film is made so you get lost between Lola's runs, in the end you end up staying what now? What comes next, and then, unfortunately, the movie ends.

One thing I found funny is that Lola never gets tired and doesn't even want to pant, maybe the production should have paid a little attention to this detail since it's the title of the film.

I believe it served as the inspiration for The Butterfly Effect (another classic), the plot is not so deep and fails to explain several things, a problem that would not exist if the film were bigger or had a sequel.

Despite this, the soundtrack, setting, photography, editing, guarantee the adrenaline and action of the film.