For John den Boer; my first published movie review, of Run Lola Run in Redeemer's newspaper The Crown.

Expanding Your Cinematic Horizons- Run Lola Run

If you were to ask someone, "What are the greatest books ever written?", you likely wouldn't take their answer too seriously if it consisted only of works published by Americans in the last 100 years. Such a list would be shortsighted, biased towards a certain time and place, and too limited in scope to be accurate. And yet, though this myopia is unacceptable in terms of literature it may be closer to the norm when it comes to the world of film.

Despite the fact that filmmaking goes back 100 years now and takes place all over the world, it seems that the sole focus of the average North American moviegoer is on the productions of Hollywood in the past 20 years. Before us is a cinematic feast set with delicacies from around the world, some of them aged for decades like a sumptuous wine; limiting oneself to the productions of North America in the past decade or two is like turning down the feast for a Big Mac combo.

Furthermore, the average, contemporary Hollywood blockbuster is not characterized by its quality in terms of being innovative, thought-provoking or important. It is mildly entertaining but forgettable fluff. So: If you're sick of lukewarm Hollywood fare which seems to rehash the same ingredients in every other plot, if you've had enough of seeing the same movie under eight different titles, if you're looking for something a little bit different, something innovative, a film you can ponder for days afterwards rather than one that is forgotten as soon as the credits appear, you may very well be reading in the right place.

The purpose of this article, which I hope will be the first in a series, is to recommend quality movies that you probably have not seen, perhaps not even heard of, movies that will entertain you but also engage you intellectually, emotionally, spiritually. Be prepared to expand your cinematic horizons and to reap the rewards!

Which brings me, at long last, to the main course of this article: Run Lola Run (1999). This German film, directed by Tom Tykwer, began as a single image. Tykwer, writes: “I always start with the image. I get an image in my head and I start wanting to get it moving, to build a story around it and then make a film out of it. In Run Lola Run it was a woman running.” Around this central image Tykwer builds the story of Lola (Franka Potente, who you may recognize from The Bourne Identity) and her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), a low-level hood.

Manni is given a simple job by his boss Ronnie: deliver some goods for cash, carry the cash to Ronnie. The job goes well until Manni, forgetting himself, leaves the bag of money on a subway where it is picked up by a passing vagrant. Frantic for help, he telephones Lola despairing that if he doesn't deliver the 100,000 marks in 20 minutes Ronnie will kill him. And here Lola takes off, her entire being focused on saving the life of her amour. The movie then progresses through three different versions of the following 20 minutes, each of which differs greatly in an exploration of the interplay of random occurrences, the "butterfly effect", and fate or destiny. The way the story progresses is riveting, the main characters interesting and lovable in their own ways, and the themes intriguing.

But the best part of Run Lola Run is not the substance of the film, but rather its style. As suits its central image of a running woman, this movie is bursting with energy. The adjective “kinetic” is often used by film critics; no film deserves it more than this one. The sequences in which we see Lola sprinting to save Manni, her crimson mane wind-tossed, play with such an intensity that the viewer soon finds himself as exhausted as she must be. These scenes are framed by slower paced interludes, conversations between key players in the story, which both deepen our appreciation for our main characters and allow us to catch our breath before Lola resumes her race against the clock.

The soundtrack is also notable: a Techno blend of tunes which pound in tempo with your racing heart, each perfectly suited to the electric visuals it accompanies. It might be said that this movie is the best and longest music video ever shot, but such a description doesn't do Tykwer's creation justice.

I think watching Run Lola Run is the perfect way to begin a foray into foreign films. It is an audiovisual treat perfectly suited to the so-called MTV generation, yet one that provides delicious food for thought. There's a lot to savour in this small, 81 minute package.