Run Lola Run (Lola rennt)

Release Year: 1998

Director: Tom Tykwer

Review: Fast paced, frenetic and highly stylized, this Tom Tykwer gem mixes the feel of a music video with the potency of a feature film.  The plot, is straightforward.  Lola has 20 minutes to procure a large sum of money to save her boyfriend who has lost money for the mob.  This 'run' is actually repeated 3 times, with minor differences greatly effecting the outcome.

The theme of destiny, and our control over that destiny is brilliantly explored here.  Minor characters get flash forwards, detailing the outcomes of their lives.  These outcomes vary greatly just upon when Lola encounters them.  How much control over our fate do we have?  This is one of the many questions the film raises.  But as the title sequence states, its futile to ask these questions as it will only lead to more questions.  There is a brilliant scene in which, sometime in the past, Lola and her boyfriend are in bed asking these kind 'silly' questions to one another.  It accentuates the theme of free will vs. destiny as well as how fragile our life path is.  Is the person we end up with really the best person for us?  What if we never met them?  Again, more circular questions, which have no answers.

From start to finish, this film is an adrenaline rush.  With almost no time to catch your breath it keeps keeps you running along with Lola, intricately weaving its subtle twists along the way.  While the hyper-sylized feel of the film adds to the visual appeal, it often goes too far and is distracting.  It would have been a better film if it wasn't over stylized and focused more on the meat of the film rather than overdoing the effects.  All the same, it was a blast from start to finish, and beyond being an incredible fun film to watch it had a deeper message, which lasts far longer than any visual trick.
Rating: 4/5