Run Lola Run

I see hundreds of movies a year, but somehow, I had managed to miss RUN LOLA RUN until the first week in August, 2005. YEARS after the film had come out, and years after imitators had their shots at ruining the style (like imitators of PULP FICTION kinda cheapened that whole genre). Not to fear...this film is a kick of PURE ENERGY!! I felt honest-to-God jazzed watching this movie. Originality and ENERGY pop off the screen. Basically, we're watching three little movies...each of the same scenario, but playing out in different ways. We see how one or two tiny little changes early on can snowball into HUGE changes once the story reaches its end. Lola has to come up with a HUGE pile of money in 20 minutes flat, or her boyfriend will either be killed by a mobster, or take the foolish step of holding up a grocery store for the cash. Can she "fix" his problem in time? That's about the plot...but this summary tells you NOTHING about how this film feels. I'm a 41 year old man. Not the target audience. I don't listen to the kind of music played here (techno...for lack of a better word). I speak some German, but not enough that I didn't have to read the subtitles. I always look for holes in the plot of films. I'm always skeptical of "artiness for its own sake." And yet, while the film is "artful," I thought it was a perfect blending of a filmmaking style with a story-telling intent. Lola is under a deadline...and everything reminds us of that. The pulsing, repetitive score...the fast camera work...the color choices...everything. But the best part of all is Franke Potente, the star of the film. US audiences know her from the "girlfriend" role in BOURNE IDENTITY...and she was the best cast part of the film...she seemed real, smart, sexy, foreign and fully-realized. In RUN LOLA RUN, she shows why an American director casting a big-budget American film would have gone with her...she's GREAT! The film spends many minutes focused just on Lola running. From the side, from head-on...we see her run, run, run. Red/pink hair sailing wildly behind. Her face is a masterpiece...at one moment she's got fear, intelligence, determination and exhaustion etched there. She's very young, and in over her head...but we immediately want her to succeed as much as SHE wants to succeed. It's a riveting performance in a film full of fun ideas. If I sit back and think about it...I realize that what Lola is running for is to save a criminal boyfriend (who's also stupid and a bit of a whiner), and that performing criminal acts is not beyond her either. Most of the characters she encounters along her way (especially her father and his mistress), are quite unlikeable too. From a surface level, we should have NO business getting behind these schmucks. But Lola's ferocity is an undeniable magnet. And the film moves WAY too fast to do anything but leave you breathless. It's rated "R," mostly for some strong language, and for some unsavory scenes with the father and mistress. I don't recommend it by any stretch for kids...but I suggested it to my 17 year old son, and he loved it. He's showing it to his friends. It's a COOL movie...simply put. It deserves all the accolades that have come its way.

I have not watched a lot of foreign films so I thought I'd grab Run Lola, Run. It's a surreal film in a lot of ways. Even before we get to the star crossed lovers who get in over their heads with a fencing mob operation, the film wobbles through crowds of people asking about Man, the way he questions, the answers leading to more questions, in a circular philosophy. The camera focuses on a few of the people who will later play larger roles later in the film. Finally, a security guard says "Scheisse" happens and kicks a soccer ball high in the air! We fly with the ball, and then come down to Lola's world. As you've read in other reviews and synopses, it's basically about Lola's boyfriend, who explains that during a fencing operation with some diamonds, he sold the diamonds to a fence for 100,000 Marks, and now he only has twenty minutes before meeting the mob boss who will kill Manni (her boyfriend) when the boss finds out Manni lost the money on the subway. "And it's all your fault for being late!" he yells at her which was really not fair, being the irresponsible dork that he really is. But I digress! Hitchcock has always said that rather than having a bunch of talking heads in a film, that one should use the cinema as a way of communicating (or words to that effect) and Lola definitely delivers. First, Lola actually has a power or two. First, she can run for miles without being hardly out of breath. And two, she can scream with such intensity that she can break glass. There are actually three scenarios or 20 minute clips that show the various fates of Lola and the people she runs across. In the first one, she screams and shatters mirrors! Then she throws the phone up in the air and it lands flawlessly on the phone cradle. Then she runs! There is some animation in here too as well as some cool electronic music to keep us moving. A few seconds difference in running into a neighbor's dog makes a woman who was delayed by this now win the lottery. Makes a bike thief become a bum. And so on! Manni wants to rob a store to get the money. Lola fails with her cheating father and helps Manni rob the store. She comes to a bad end. In the second one, much as the first, she throws the phone into the air, lands flawlessly on the cradle, but this time (to make a long story short) Manni meets an untimely fate. In the third one, when all parties are more or less behaving themselves and are doing good for others, things turn out the best. At least for Lola and Manni. The DVD has French and English subtitles if you want, as well as voice-over English and French. I chose the English and it went quite smoothly. Interesting too that the credits roll UP as opposed to American films rolling down. Wild stuff. Understandable why this film won the Audience Award at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. So run, do not walk, to your favorite DVD store and pick this up! Other Franka Potente (Lola) Films: The Princess and the Warrior Creep Bourne Identity (Single-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

This is clearly one of the most creative films I have ever seen. It was a huge hit at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival and at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and well deserves every award it won. In German, with English subtitles, this is a wild and exciting fast-paced movie that cannot be neatly assigned to a type or genre. Starring Franka Potente as Lola, her unique screen presence defined by her strong body, engaging tattoos and raggedy orange hair, she has a mere 20 minutes to get a large amount of money to her boyfriend so that he won't be killed by the mob. Instead of just showing us one of Lola's approaches, the film gives us three choices, and packs a strong punch with its theme of fate and destiny and how one tiny little move can effect not only the main characters, but also everyone around them. You can literally pick your own ending, each one packed with excitement and ironies. Most of the film shows Lola running, and as she passes by the same bystanders, their lives are changed in long-ranging ways. The pace of this movie is fast and is a mere 81 minutes long and it didn't lag for one single moment. As a matter of fact, I didn't want to take my eyes off the screen because I didn't want to miss anything. The soundtrack is perfect to accompany all the running, and the director, Tom Tykwer, uses a great mix of animation, still photography, slow motion and some very unusual camera shots. Never, once, however did the film sink into just a palette for showing off his artistry. The story and the characters were foremost and the audience is held captive, their hearts beating, as they join Lola in her run. Recommended. Don't miss it!

sono un appassionato e collezionista di film e come si può immaginare tengo molto alla loro condizione. sono sempre restio ad acquistare prodotti usati in quanto il giudizio sul loro stato é molto soggettivo ma posso affermare che Vervan mi ha dimostrato estrema sincerità e trasparenza. ho apprezzato la confezione che ha veramente protetto questa rarità, pagata cara, ma se li merita tutti. un inchino, Vervan! Nicola

très bon film,énergique,et original: -dans la manière dont le film a été tourné,mélange des styles(flm,dessin animé),variation des plans de vues et des montages,avec une musique tout aussi variée et énergique, -une sorte de mélange de roméo et juliette et de bonnie and clyde,version très moderne et revisitée,avec cette question en filigrane:jusqu'où peut on aller par amour?comment faire pour être fidèle à l'Autre tout en restant fidèle à Soi? -une réflexion très interessante sur les relations familiales,sur les non dits familiaux qui éclatent quand on s'y attend le moins...et si on pouvait avoir plusieurs vies,laquelle choisirions nous? -pour terminer une question que pose ce film:l'être humain est il assujetti à une destinée à laquelle il ne peut échapper,ou bien l'être humain peut il être acteur de sa vie et par la même peut il ainsi déjouer,changer le cours de sa destinée? Vous aurez la réponse à toutes ces questions en regardant ce film "cours Lola cours"... à votre tour,courez voir ce film en dvd...

A fantastic, fast-paced, addictive movie! I first heard of this movie when it first came out in 1999: a 14-year old girl I vaguely knew (in foster care, working in prostitution since the age of 12 to fund her drug addiction, pregnant, and really looking forward to getting a council flat once the kid was born) had seen it at the movies and had become so enthusiastic about it that she did the whole Lola thing, dying her hair red, getting a tattoo on her tummy like the one Franka Potente sports in the music video, and even a piercing in her navel! One reason she could relate really well to the character is that Lola's 'father', who is not her biological father, is really disappointed in how his 'daughter' has turned out, and this girl I knew also had a very strained relationship with her foster father (she fantasized about raping him with a dildo...). I just could not relate to this girl, so decided against seeing the movie: I assumed that I was bound to hate a movie she raved about so much. How wrong I was! In the movie, Lola is your typical rich people's kid, fairly disturbed, with a drug-dealer boyfriend (you really wonder what she sees in him, as she is much too good for him) but full of youthful energy. If only she could channel it into something positive! What really appealed to me is that Lola is the exact opposite of a Barbie Doll. It is so rare to see a real woman who is sweating, whose bra is showing, and who hasn't had time to groom herself to perfection, Grace Kelly like. I haven't had the time to check yet, but I would not be surprised if this was a cult movie in the lesbian community: women do know what other women are like, and can recognize forgery! I loved the way the 3 runs work like a dream that you have over and over, with variations, and different outcomes. It made me think a lot about life and how the choices we make send us down certain routes, closing others down. The 'flash forwards', where Lola's path crosses that of other characters, and you see what the future holds in store for them, and the non-relationship Lola has with her father (and probably, her mother) reminded me of Kurt Tucholsky's poem 'Augen in der Grossstadt'. Berlin is an ideal location for this: it is quite dehumanizing, and as ugly on screen as it is in my memories. Nice for a short visit, but not to live there permanently. I really loved the supporting actors, especially Nina Petri and Ahmin Rode. One thing which left me disappointed is the car accident Lola's father has in the 3rd run: unusually for someone with his social status, he has decided to do the decent thing, divorce his wife, and marry his young mistress, who must have felt betrayed at his lack of commitment so far. I would like to believe he goes on to survive the accident and that they get married and live happily ever after. I'm afraid of buying the book now! The musical video clip is a really nice supplement to have. I'm thinking of getting the single though: I like the music so much, and yet I'm not into techno! There are also some nice shots of Franka Potente, who is really one hell of a beautiful woman. Warning: this movie is not much good if you want to practice your German, as there are not many dialogues.

Ya había visto la película y quería conseguirla para trabajar con ella con mis alumnos de alemán. Está subtitulada para sordos y por tanto eso facilita el trabajo.

たった数秒のずれが、一つのリアクションの違いが、 まわりまわってびっくりするほどの大きな違いを生む。 会話に一言が加わるだけで、削られるだけで、 人は犯罪者にも福者にも普通の人にもなる。 見ていてぞくっときました。 非常に面白い映画です。 20分間という時間を３通りの疾走の仕方で生きるという 設定が生んだ面白さですが、不自然さはありません。 それぞれのローラは一回しか生きていないのに、 実はローラが成長しているというのもポイントです。