Jump the dog. Bet on Twenty. That's the secret to a happy life as depicted in Run Lola Run; a novel and innovative film that shows it is possible to circumvent whatever hand fate has dealt us by making the right choices. But does anyone know what they are in retrospect?
The movie is divided into three segments. The final segment is the one with the happy ending. The first two are the ones where certain choices are made that lead to a disastrous outcome. Each segment involves Lola (Franka Potente) running as fast as she can to get 100,000 German Marks to save her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) from being killed. The reason to hurry? Manni plans to hold up a store in 20 minutes if she doesn't show up to get that money.
The movie is symbolic of many aspects of human existence, but I personally feel it is an excellent metaphor for the rat race. It also ponders the question "what if" and causality, but aside from a film, such thoughts are pointless unless one can travel back in time. Each time Lola begins her run, the resulting influence is exponentially different (but of course: it is a chaotic phenomenon). The movie primarily takes a moralistic viewpoint as to what needs to be done to jump out of this Strange Loop (i.e., a non-criminal approach is what works), but it also suggests that sometimes the solution in a tight spot may have to be extremely radical (and lucky!) for it to work.
The movie is filmed in bright colour and the direction is fast-paced, even though the same sequence is repeated again and again. The acting is excellent and the character of Lola as played by Franka Potente is someone whose plight I definitely was able to empathise with. The movie is made interesting by the fact that a lot of different effects, stills, animation, and camera angles are used to propel the story line. The primarily electronic music-driven sound track is also excellent.
Run Lola Run is an entertaining and energetic film which will leave you with a wry smile at the end for its wit and irony. I highly recommend it.