Run Lola Run (1998)

Run Lola Run (1998)

7/10

Starring

Franka Potente
Moritz Bleibtreu

Directed by Tom Tykwer

Way back in 1998, I remember watching a German program on the local TV station. It was there I saw the making of, and heard the director and film critics' comments about the film. I was also opportune to see clips of the movie Run Lola Run and a music video featuring the star.

Well, I never forgot about the movie, but I never thought I could one day find German films. Thanks to the global world becoming more unified, I did, and it was a good price to pay to finally see Run Lola Run after 14 years.

Mind you, it’s a German movie subtitled in English.

The movie stars Franka Potente, who you might remember as Jason Bourne's love interest in the Bourne film series and as Eva Heissan in the British-American show on BBC America, Copper.

Run Lola Run shows the place of determination in human life.

The thing I like most about this flick is the use of chaos theory's butterfly effect. It shows how small inputs in the initial conditions of people’s lives — like running into someone or distracting them — result in drastic changes in that individual’s life later on.

To show these butterfly effects, the movie uses flash-forward sequences of still images showing the future outcomes in the lives of those Lola comes across.

The runs in the movie had different implications for the people Lola’s path crosses. Some were devastating, others were beautiful.

The plot is straightforward and simple. Lola (Franka Potente) and her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) have a problem.

Manni lost 100,000 German Marks belonging to his crime boss by accidentally leaving it on a train. Lola was supposed to pick him up but she failed because she got sidetracked.

Now Manni has to deliver the money in the next 20 minutes. He knows if he shows up without it, he’s dead.

Telling Lola all this on the phone causes her to panic, and she promises to meet him with the money in 20 minutes.

So the “runs” begin, and Lola is seen running to her father, hoping to get the money.

The film features three runs, each different from the last, with a different outcome depending on how she reacts to things around her.

As great the acting and story was in this movie, one of the flaws is how a bit unrealistic or improbable certain things are in the timelines. Also, the timelines can feel a bit repetitive, so some viewers looking at this movie repletive improbable things, can feel a bit disengaged from it.

The movie is directed masterfully by Tom Tykwer, who would go on to work with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in the 2012 movie Cloud Atlas.

If you like a movie that lets you pick how it ends, this is for you. Likewise, if you like an exciting movie, just join the bandwagon. Mind you again, it’s German, so make sure the one you’re watching has subtitles.