Run Lola Run (German:Lola Rennt) (1998)
| Run Lola Run (German:Lola Rennt) (1998) |
| Cast: | Franka Potente | Lola |
| Moritz Bleibtreu | Manni | |
| Herbert Knaup | Lolas Father | |
| Nini Petri | Jutta Hansen | |
| Armin Rohde | Herr Schuster | |
| Joachim Krol | Norbert von Au | |
| Ludger Pistor | Herr Meier | |
| Suzanne von Borsody | Frau Jager | |
| Sebastian Schipper | Mike | |
| Julia Lindig | Doris | |
| Lars Rudolph | Kassierer Kruse |
Review by Bret Walker
I know what you're saying. Starring who? Directed by whom? It's no surprise if you've never heard of this German-made film, but this film did win top honors at this year's Independent Spirit Awards. Sony Pictures Classics has released this film in the US with English subtitles. If you don't like subtitles or prefer over-dubbing, think about this: to truly feel the original emotion in the actor's voice, you have to hear their emphasis. And there is a lot of emotion to be felt throughout this frenzied film.
The story begins as Manni, a courier for a big-time gangster, is calling his girlfriend Lola. Manni is frantic because Lola failed to meet him at a certain time, and now he has lost 100,000 Deutch Marks (about $50,000) that he is supposed to deliver to his boss at 12:00 Noon. Lola rushes out of the apartment with one mission: to get the money somehow and get it to Manni in 20 minutes. If she fails, Manni plans on robbing a grocery store for the money.
Twenty minutes, 100,000 DM. There are three sequences filmed that encompass a sort of "decide your own fate" type of story. The differences in the three are so subtle, yet so completely different in their ending. The interesting thing about these three scenarios is that the difference of only a few seconds at the start of each sequence means the difference between life and death in the outcome.
This post-modern MTV-generation film grips the viewer from start to finish with its madcap chase through city streets. In the beginning, the viewer cares little for this street hood and his girlfriend, but as the last seconds tick away the tide of compassion turns, and we feel a sense of hope that Lola may actually succeed in her task.
The filming technique of Tom Tykwer should be considered absolute genius. He had to synchronize different parts of the film to make sure that a certain amount of time had elapsed for each scene. He had to film different scenes at the exact same time on different days to get the shadows just right. The continuity throughout this masterpiece is awe inspiring, and it's no wonder this film was critically acclaimed worldwide.
Rating:
Trivia:
Links:
The Official Run Lola Run Website
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