Throwback Must See Rental: Run Lola Run

Hey Lola, just keep running. Run like it's the Olympics. Run like Raggedy Ann on crack. Run Lola Run is a great idea if nothing else. We watch an attractive young lady with died red hair try to save her boyfriend out of debt, and in very limited time. Once the phone hangs up, its time to go. But its not where she goes that makes this stories layers truly unravel, but rather how she gets their. Will she bump into the lady on the sidewalk? Will she try to get money from her father? Why is such a charismatic young lady saving this dope and not me? And finally, do we all have the power to change circumstances in the manner she does, and at times a wink of an eye could add another dimension to the universe? Pondering these questions as well as makes this movie a thrill ride for the senses.

One circumstance and three stories are relayed to us. As an audience we are left to pick our favorite, which is almost like asking somebody what their favorite M and M flavor is. Lola's boyfriend Manni needs 100,000 marks in 20 minutes or he will be turned into rat meat by the mob. Manni had the money but left it on a train for a bum to snatch. Lola, who may be able to kick Rocky's ass through sheer will power, desires to achieve the unenviable chore.

In the first two stories Lola turns to her father for the cash. Her dad is an uptight middle-aged man, whose life manifested into untold lies, including a affair with a co-worker.

I enjoyed the information received collectively through each story. In them we learn the father is having an affair and his mistress is pregnant. We also learn its not his baby (he never knows this). We also discover he wants to leave his responsibilities behind, and run off with the ho-like creature. In one situation he tells Lola she is crazy and not actually his kid. I doubt he will like his mistress kid either. Only in one of these instances does she get the money, this achieved through robbery. In a separate story she never has a chance to ask for money. Instead she uses all she has and gambles. The stars were aligned correctly for her on this day, and she was successful.

In between Lola getting the money and finding Manni, we are taken with many other side plots. Little things are surfaced about pretty much every character involved. For instance, Lola during her chase bumps into a lady just passing by. What is then revealed through a series of pictures is this woman converting her life towards Christianity. In another instance Lola misses her and she is then shown as growing old and crazy. It is fun to think of the differences in the two situations. It is funnier to think of the parallels (Christianity and crazy). In other instances you see happy endings with people, with some kind of fetish or twist thrown in. This makes for a constant re-shaping of how you decide to judge each person Lola encounters.

The three endings bring such a change in tempo that it feels like you are just finishing riding a roller coaster. All one can do is look at their friend and laugh at how flustered one has become.

The plot line of the movie does not tell half of the story. Music had an unbelievable influence in setting up a constant backdrop. The techno used gave me a sense of being on top of things. One could say "cutting edge." I felt vulnerable. The music was flowing, Lola kept running, and all the scenarios were changing. When my mind would filter what was being portrayed, we were ready for the next scene. The songs chosen were my thoughts as far as rhythm and the speed of my own mental psyche is concerned.

Along with the techno beats were a variety of camera angles. There could not have been a better music video for the songs. My grandfather would need a cigarette break mid-way through this thriller. My grandmother would say, "Robert, I'm getting a headache." Run Lola Run clearly has roots with Generation X (what a stupid label).

Run Lola Run holds up over any music video I've seen. As we travel with Lola, we are on our own to speculate. Through contemplation it is evident that no matter the preferred ending, the impact of the twenty-minute chase will be felt forever. Like George Harrison of The Beatles said in The Yellow Submarine, "its all in the mind." This movie lets us take ours where it wants to go.