Run Lola Run

"Run Lola Run" is the most creative film I have seen in quite some time. The film combines the use of live action and animation, utilizes unusual editing and cinematography, and dictates a creative story through a unique narrative, all brought together to create a fast paced, heart felt, feel good but also nerve racking story about love and determination and divinity.

The film is quite complex, especially in its main character. Lola, a realist with a savior complex and a crummy family, receives a call from her boyfriend Manni that sends her into a frantic chase for money. During this chase, we see what Lola is capable of doing in a time of crisis and the outcomes of the people she encounters along the way (shown through a creative technique that I found fresh and original).

I wonder how much screen time is Lola running. We see close shots of her running, crane shots, shots of her from basically every angle. One has to wonder, with all this running, what is she running for? She is running because she wants to save the man she loves. And yet, a flashback shows that she is unsure about her dedication to him, a point that seems extremely real to life. We don't usually know our feelings for those we love, and yet the majority of movies paints pictures of characters (supposedly imitating real life) as having this steadfast knowledge of their undying devotion to their lovers. In "Lola," the main character knows that she doesn't know how she feels. This is an admirable admittance about life for a film.

Nevertheless, she runs. She uses her mind to try to find a solution. Primarily, her solution is logical--ask her father (a high end banker) for money. This makes sense. And yet, both times (you have to watch the movie to understand), she not only does not receive the money but also discovers that her father is cheating on her mother. Only when Lola asks for some divine intervention does she receive the solution that works. It's strange that Lola could not get the money from a logical place like her father, but she could get the money from betting in a casino, a risky, illogical, and unlikely place to get 100,000 marks. Lola could not solve her problem on her own. A strange thing for a filmmaker to say.

I keep thinking about what I think makes great movies. My criteria used to be that the best movies said something. However, my friend Mihir said that wasn't a valid way to judge movies because every movies says something. The more I think about it, the more I think he's right. All movies say something. I know this. But when I said "say something," I meant that they have a significant message, something of value to say. While I will agree that the best movies must do something original or inventive, they must also say something significant about life and human nature. Roger Ebert said "the greatest films are meditations on why we are here." I think that's true.

The more I think about it, the more I consider this film a great film. It says that all our planning and thinking is inferior to chance or God or divine intervention, that we can do all we can and not succeed, yet we can do nothing and then succeed. It shows how much of our lives are not in our control. I approve.