Run Lola Run Essay, Research Paper

Set among the gritty urban area of Berlin and a pounding techno soundtrack, RUN LOLA RUN is a definitely unique thriller that explores the life-altering impact of apparently unconnected actions. Lola, the orange-haired punket has 20 minutes to get one hundred thousand marks to replace the money her boyfriend Manni lost. If she can’t raise the cash, gangsters are going to kill him. In Lola s race against time, the film uses a great variety of definitely foreign techniques to present three separate scenarios, all departing from a single split-second decision Lola makes.

This movie was done in a very abstract way, one that doesn t make its way into American films much. Whereas in most American films, there is a plot that is played out from beginning to end, RUN LOLA RUN is set into three different sequences, which are variations of the main plot.

I noticed that this movie, like a lot of foreign films is based on a theme, rather than a story, like films from the United States. In American movies, themes generally support the storyline. In foreign movies, like LOLA, the story supports the themes. RUN LOLA RUN has some very strong themes, such as, running against time and problems of having to experience society from the outside.

About half way through the movie, I realized that it isn t really the language, or the lack of budget that made a film like RUN LOLA RUN so unlike an American movie, they are completely different animals. They differ totally in the way they handle ideas. This realization was by far the most interesting insight I gained from this project. I always wondered what made a foreign film seem so well…foreign. I haven t worked out all the little intricacies, yet, I think I have a pretty good idea.