Run Lola Run

Long ago and far away, Trev posted an entry of Run Lola Run. I'll yield to his description and reaction for the most part, not because I'm lazy, but because I'd co-sign on just about everything he wrote. The movie is short, simple, and incredibly low-budget, but it's also an absolute thrill to watch. Tack on a fairly deep philosophy on fate, free will, and their mutual compatibility, and you've got yourself a real gem. It doesn't even feel dated in spite of all the techno music and '90s Euro-culture, and that's probably because it's so straightforward and minimalistic. In fact, it's essentially just a thought experiment focusing on alternate timelines; Lola needs to come up with a hundred thousand marks (pre-euro!) and get them to her boyfriend within twenty minutes, or else he's a dead man. The film covers three attempts, and minor differences in each one lead to major differences in the result. Chaos theory and the butterfly effect are certainly at play here, but the film doesn't even attempt an explanation as to why Lola gets to re-attempt the money acquisition and delivery, an omission I completely respect. Without being hampered by plot constraints and explaining "who" or "why" or "how," the film blazes through its eighty-minute run time in a way that was satisfying both on an action level and a thinking level. I give it a hearty recommendation and soon enough I'll be giving it a re-watch.