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Review

Run Lola Run

Director

Tom Tykwer

Year

1998

Rating

Reviewed by

a.k.a. Jacinda

Review date

Thursday, November 22, 2001

Lola runs. She runs for the life of her loved one. She runs to rescue him, to rescue her love. Isn’t it this very passion that drives us on in life? I cannot think of a stronger image. The woman who runs on and on to make a difference, to prevent her life from being ruined. German filmmaker Tom Tykwer has chosen this image for his movie Run Lola Run. A movie that has become an international success. A movie that has won numerous awards and critical acclaim.

I used to be very disappointed by German cinema. Once there were big names like Fritz Lang or Ernst Lubitsch. I thought German cinema had lost its spark forever. Tom Tykwer has proven me wrong. Without doubt, Run Lola Run is the best German movie in decades - as passionate, innovative and ingenious as films can get.

Set in Berlin, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) looses 100.000 Deutsch Marks that he had to take care of for his criminal boss. In this desperate situation, he makes a phone call to his girlfriend Lola (Franka Potente) telling her he is a dead man. Lola doesn’t give up though and decides to do everything she can to save Manni. She has to get 100.000DM in twenty minutes. Lola runs against time - and against fate.

What starts as an almost conventional movie, soon turns out to be a pure gem filled with intriguing ideas. Animated sequences are part of the action. Entire lives are told in several fast shots. The score takes on an important role. It melts with the images. I can’t think of the movie without associating the score with it – and vice versa. In my opinion, this is the best one can achieve. The soundtrack is as hip and fast as the movie itself.

After the first 20 minutes, one thing is clear. Lola is not willing to give in to her fate. Another two episodes follow in which fate will decide if Lola and Manni get out alive. The way of telling the story in these episodes is nothing completely new. Still I had not seen anything like this before. And the “what if” question raised in Run Lola Run has certainly inspired many movies to follow. In this regard, the movie is highly philosophical. Does fate really decide about the things that happen to us? Or are we the ones to choose our own fates? Tom Tykwer certainly supports the second thesis.

His lead character Lola is so powerful and determined that she can mix up space and time. She is not a superhero, but a normal woman who fights for her love. I think the movie has become such a huge success because of this universal theme and the way you can identify with Lola. Franka Potente proves herself to be an extremely talented actress. I am sure this is only the beginning of a very successful career to come. Moritz Bleibtreu makes a great second lead, while the cast of supporting actors and actresses is good as well.

Run Lola Run combines a unique way of storytelling with fascinating visuals - above all Lola’s red hair, her looks and the city of Berlin. Its editing is excellent. Tom Tykwer’s vision of love that surpasses all boundaries is a powerful tour-de-force of great depths. Truly remarkable and one-of-a-kind, Run Lola Run is a modern classic.

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