Run Lola, Run (Tom Tykwer, 1999)

Country of Origin: Germany

German director Tom Tykwer created the fast paced Run Lola, Run (aka Lola Rennt in Germany and some other parts of the world). This was a movie that seemed like it had a simple plot with a rapid tempo, aimed mostly towards adrenaline junkies; however, it is so much more. It stars Franka Potente (you might have recognized her from Bourne Identity) as fiery red head, Lola, who has to find a way to get 100,000 Deutschmarks in order to save her boyfriend, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu). But this is no ordinary action/ thriller/ crime/ drama/ romance. No, no. Eccentricity seems to be the theme of this film. Tykwer’s passion of seeing love triumph over all in a non conventional way is well lit up in this film. In one interview he said his main emphasis was on “the role of coincidence and fate and the notion that the smallest alteration in the unfolding of a day could have enormous consequences.” In other words, it was a matter of cause and effect. Tykwer shows his audience how a few seconds could alter the events of an entire day by allowing Lola to repeat the same day three times; each time there is a slight alteration from the previous, and each time Lola is closer to getting Manni the money and preventing an untimely death.

This movie was enjoyable in the sense it felt as if I was on a rollercoaster. The story moved along so fast that, in actuality, it only lasted 20 minutes or so (mind you the 20 minutes of story was repeated 3 times and slightly different each time, which made it round out to about 90 minutes.) The use of animation and movement was intense and added to effect of the main character’s rush to save her beloved. If you are not up for the generic shot em’ up action thriller or the sappy romance, but want to watch something in between that is not like the rest, I suggest Run Lola, Run. If you rent the DVD, you get the option to watch it in German or English, but trust me on this one, the German version has more emotion.