Films > Film Reviews

Run Lola Run

09/05/16

I had the pleasure to see this German film again, but this time on a big screen which greatly enhanced the pulsing visuals and score. It’s a very short film with a run-time of less than 90 minutes which is actually perfect for the exhilarating rush the central redhaired character must face.

Lola (Franka Potente) gets a phone call from her boyfriend who is fearing for his safety after losing 100,000 marks. Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) must be ready for 12pm with the money so Lola has 20 minutes to race to his location and hopefully find a way of getting the 100,000 along the way.

What I love most about this film is the genuinely exciting buildup of adrenaline that we’re hurled into. Also, it’s not just one story; we see Lola try to get to Manni three times as one plot/life ends the next narrative begins. This means there’s some fun to be had in seeing recurring imagery and characters and seeing how interactions may change from the previous time.

This thriller is about fate, the order of our lives and how little differences made by Lola can affect the people she sprints past. Tom Tykwer directs this 1998 gem with a knack of creating a fast blur of cartoons, heist-like drama and interesting plot developments three times over. The snapshots into the future of three characters on Lola’s journey are brilliantly plotted and show the idea of fate in both a comedic and grim way.

Tykwer not only directs and writes but does the music as well. I mention this because the score is just downright excellent. The echoing vocals of Potente over a drum beat and electric techno sound truly helps this film feel fast and energetic, as if we’re not only engaged but are actually running alongside Lola as she tears up the concrete through Berlin.

Potente burns as the lead role; she plays the strong willed female with gusto and shows her softer side in the wellplayed love story this film also offers us. Bleibtreu plays the gangster involved boyfriend convincingly, being both assured but worried about his predicament.

This film brilliantly stirs the senses in a quick rip-roaring ride of three clever and fun runs that combine cracking music and strong elements of love, life and death.

8.5/10