Lola rennt (1998)

reviewed by
Frankie Paiva


Run Lola Run (R)
Starring Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu
Directed by Tom Tykwer
A Review by Frankie Paiva

"The ball is round and the game lasts for 90 minutes, everything else is theroy." A soccer ball is kicked up into the air, and it's what begins this madcap, incredibly original tale of fast-paced running and love. Lola (Potente) has 20 minutes to deliver the 100,000 marks that her boyfriend, Manni (Bleibtreu) has left on the subway. If he does not deliver them to his gangster boss on time, he will be killed. The movie plays out in three different ways each of them are special in their own way.

One: Thinking of the people in her life that have a lot of money, Lola sprints to her father's bank and interrupts a private meeting there.

Two: Lola attemps to rob the bank (definately the best of the three) to get her money.

Three: Lola tries her luck at the casino.

The best parts of the movie come in fast photos of the people she passes by on the street. For instance, after banging into a women walking with a stroller the screen lights up in flashes that show her stealing the child from the real parents. Other flashes into the future include love between two bank workers, a lotto winner, and an unfortunate thief. One and Two are followed with great scenes filmed at an odd angle in red light that show Lola and Manni in bed together talking about the outcome of what happened in that particular 20-minute rush. The film also gets my award for the best soundtrack so far this year. It has plenty of cool techno beats that the Go soundtrack needed. What chances does this soon-to-be art-house fave have at the Best Foreign Film Oscar? Not much, but it's still enough to make Run Lola Run the best Foreign film (and perhaps independent film) so far this year.

A Review by Frankie Paiva
The 12-Year-Old Movie Reviewer

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