RUN LOLA RUN

Run Lola Run

Directed by Tom TykwerProduced by Stefan ArndtWritten by Tom TykwerNarrated by Hans PaetschStarring Franka Potente

Moritz BleibtreuMusic by Tom Tykwer

Johnny KlimekReinhold Heil

Cinematography Frank GriebeEditing by Mathilde BonnefoyStudio X-Filme Creative PoolDistributed by Sony Pictures Classics

Running time 81 minutesCountry GermanyLanguage GermanBudget $1.75 millionBox office $14,533,173

Plot

Run Lola Run

Run Lola Run (German: Lola rennt, literally Lola Runs) is a 1998 German crime thriller film written and directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Franka Potente as Lola and Moritz Bleibtreu as Manni.

The story follows a woman who needs to obtain 100,000 German marks (50,984 Euro) in 20 minutes to save her boyfriend's life. The film's three scenarios are reminiscent of the 1981 Krzysztof Kieślowski film Blind Chance; following Kieślowski's death, Tykwer directed his planned film Heaven.

The film begins with Lola (Franka Potente) receiving a phone call from her distraught boyfriend, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu). He is a small-time criminal and has lost 100,000 marks belonging to his crime boss by accidentally leaving it on a train (Lola was supposed to pick him up, but her moped was stolen while she was buying cigarettes). After the doors of the train closed, he saw a homeless man pick up the bag of money but he was unable to get back onto the train before it left the station. Upon not seeing any trace of his money or the homeless man at the next station, Manni assumes the money is long gone.

Manni has to get the money within 20 minutes before his boss finds out, and plans to rob a nearby supermarket. Lola urges him to wait and tells him she will sort out the money. She decides to ask her father (Herbert Knaup), who is a bank manager.

The main part of the film is divided in three "runs". Each run starts from the same situation but develops differently and has a different outcome. Each run contains various flash-forward sequences, showing how the lives of the people that Lola bumps into develop after the encounter. In each run, those people are affected in different ways.

Critical Reception

Themes and Analysis

Sequels and Remake