Run Lola Run (5 Stars)

This is the June 2025 selection for my cinema's "Best of Cinema" feature. It's an excellent choice. In votes by German film critics either "Run Lola Run" or "Das Boot" finishes in top place, depending on which side of the bed they got out of. It's a classic. It was made in 1998, and it's still as fresh 27 years later.

Today was my first chance to see it in the cinema. I was tingling with excitement as soon as the music began, even before Lola started running. The premise is simple. Lola's boyfriend has lost 100,000 Marks ($60,000) that he owes to drug dealers, and he'll be shot if he doesn't pay it back within 20 minutes. Lola promises to get him the money, and she has to run through the middle of Berlin to get it.

Does she succeed? No. But she asks for a second chance. And a third. Who grants her the chance? Is it God? Or mysterious fates standing over a mystical cauldron? It doesn't matter. What we see is that the smallest choices can affect the lives of yourself and the people around you. It's a treatise on the butterfly effect. The film is deeply philosophical, but it's so exciting that you hardly notice is philosophy.

When I got home I sat down to check what position it has in my top 100 film list. And I had to shake my head in dismay. I'd forgotten all about it. I update my list in my blog about twice a year, so it'll be included soon. When I have time. Be patient. And I'll have to watch it again soon. It's recently been remastered in 4K, but the disc is still very expensive, so I'll wait a few months before buying it.

After 27 years Lola is still running and changing the world.